George Fritsma

MS, MLS, Lab Scientist, Educator, Author

George Fritsma is a medical laboratory scientist, educator, and author. George contributed five chapters to Keohane EM, Butina MM, Mirza KM, Walenga JM: Rodak’s Hematology; Clinical Principles and Applications, Seventh Edition, 2025, Elsevier; and is the co-author of Bennett A, Fritsma GA, Ernst DJ: Quick Guide to Blood Collection Edition 2, 2016, Marques MB, Fritsma GA: Quick Guide to Coagulation Testing Edition 3, 2015, and Reddy V, Marques MB, Fritsma GA: Quick Guide to Hematology Testing Edition 2, 2013, along with three additional titles, all published by AACC Press. He is a consultant in the Laboratory Medicine Department of Pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. George is a member of the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis, the International Society for Laboratory Hematology, and the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.

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October 2026 QQ: Which is NOT an APL?

Our October 2026 Quick Question is a quiz that asks, “Which is NOT an antiphospholipid antibody?” The choices are… Anti beta-2 glycoprotein 1 Alpha-2 antiplasmin Lupus anticoagulant Antiprothrombin Anticardiolipin Antiphospholipid antibodies are acquired autoantibodies that bind phospholipid-bound proteins. Please go to the question on the right of your screen, make your selection, and add your […]

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Blog

STH Review: Hemostasis and Menstrual Bleeding

This year’s World Thrombosis Day focuses on hemostasis issues in women. Select this open-access Seminars review: Dodart R, Ku DN. What stops menstrual bleeding? Hemostatic mechanisms in the menstruating endometrium. Semin Thromb Hemost. 2026. doi: 10.1055/a-2967-9335. PMID: 42843808. Abstract Menstrual bleeding is one of the most common physiological bleeding events in humans, yet the mechanisms […]

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Bleeding Disorders

The ISTH Pulse Podcast Series: Anti-factor XIa Antithrombotics

Select ISTH: The Pulse Podcast to access a series of presentations that describe the emerging anti-FXIa antithrombotics. The site requests registration.

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Anticoagulant Therapy

Prospective Analysis: The Relationship of D-dimer and Heart Failure

Check with your medical library for He X, Zheng R, Zheng R. The relationship between D-dimer and the risk for adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure. Lab Med. 2026: lmag072. doi: 10.1093/labmed/lmag072. PMID: 42832500. Abstract Introduction Insufficient evidence exists for the association between serum dimerized plasmin fragment D (D-dimer), a biomarker for screening thromboembolic […]

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Fibrinolysis

July 2026 CAP Today Q & A Column: Lipoprotein (a).

Q. Our providers pointed out that lipoprotein(a) results from different laboratories are discordant, so they asked us to bring the assay in-house. Is this a good idea? A. Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a prothrombotic, proinflammatory, and atherogenic cholesterol-rich particle. Plasma concentration of Lp(a) is an important genetic determinant of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk, and […]

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Thrombophilia

October 2026 Cheat Sheet

Click here to read your October 2026 Cheat Sheet. If you choose to receive the “push” version of the monthly Cheat Sheet, you will find a series of links to our September posts at the bottom. To arrange for your cheat sheet, sign up in the right column of your home page. All Fritsma Factor […]

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Cheat Sheets

September 2026 QQ Summary: Anticoagulant Therapy for LAC Patients with VTE

Our September 2026 QQ asked: In your facility, what AC do you use for LAC patients with VTE? Our 13 respondents answered: Anti-Xa DOAC: 5 (39%) Warfarin: 8 (61%) No one chose an anti-IIa DOAC, aspirin, or “none.” There have been provocative discussions among KOL experts comparing the long-term use of warfarin (VKA) v. anti-Xa […]

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Thrombophilia

A Summary of VWD Management by Dr. Favaloro

See this open-access editorial summarizing current VWD diagnosis and management. Favaloro EJ. 100 years of von Willebrand disease: celebrating a significant milestone in von Willebrand disease diagnostics and management. Semin Thromb Hemost. 2026;52(7):762-764. doi: 10.1055/a-2877-9583. PMID: 42190737. Further, here’s a link to the entire Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis, October 2026, that addresses Hemostasis in […]

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Bleeding Disorders

Review: Pediatric VTE

While we focus on arterial and venous thrombosis, October 13 is the official World Thrombosis Day. With this thought in mind, here is a richly illustrated review describing pediatric VTE: Espanol MG, Janbain M. Pediatric venous thromboembolism: an illustrated review. Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2026;10:106892. doi: 10.1016/j.rpth.2026.106892. PMID: 42699084; PMCID: PMC13543900. Abstract Venous thromboembolism (VTE) […]

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Thrombophilia

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