The determination of LDL-cholesterol by calculation using the Friedewald equation is widely used worldwide. For several years, several international and national guidelines have recommended that the Friedewald equation be replaced by the Martin/Hopkins or Sampson-NIH equation. Has there been any published data on how many real-world labs in any country or region actually use these new equations to calculate LDL-C?
I don't know the answer to your question, but all of the studies that I know of used the Friedewald formula: LDL-c = CT minus HDL-c minus TG/5. We should stay within the same measuring system that the various trials have used to assure uniformity. If you believe in evidence based medicine, there is no other way.
There appears to be no relevant survey or research at the time that describes the number of real world laboratories in any state, large or small, that use a formula other than Friedewald. I caught a few articles that describe, without reference to the literary source "based on recent College of American Pathologists surveys, the majority of clinical labs are still using the Friedewald equation", "some laboratories routinely use the Martin equation", etc. However, I did not find the number, or the ratio to the Friedewald equation, or the ratio to direct methods in any article.
Remember that we base our treatments on observed data--and the trials were virtually all done using the Friedewald formula. To use the new formula, one MUST have trial evidence that it is worthwhile!
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