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May 2025 Cheat Sheet

Here is the May 2025 Cheat Sheet with links to our April entries. Watch for your Cheat Sheet by email. The Cheat Sheet is free, you may get on the mailing list by completing the brief form on the right.

May 2025 Quick Question: Terminology

Our May 2025 Quick Question is a brain teaser inspired by Dave McGlasson’s December 2023 Clot Club entry, Do We Need To Standardize Coagulation Nomenclature In Today’s Laboratory Environment? The question lists several assays that use the letter C. Please select the one that answers, “Which is the routine assay for inflammation?” As always, feel […]

Quick Question Archive

April 2025 QQ Results: Measuring Warfarin in LAC Patients

Our April 2025 Quick Question asked, “How do you measure warfarin in a patient with LAC?” The poll drew 47 respondents and was a sequel to our March 2025 question, “How do you test for lupus anticoagulant?” that referenced the ISTH‘s most recent LAC guideline, Devreese KMJ, Bertolaccini ML, Branch DW, et al. An update […]

Quick Question Archive

Thrombophilia Testing Summary

Click here for a 2025 summary of thrombophilia testing published by the Anticoagulation Forum.

The Choice of Hemophilia Treatments

Here is a brief and informative editorial that lists current hemophilia Rx choices: Makris M, O’Mahony B. Hemophilia treatments and the paradox of choice. Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2025;9:102726. doi: 10.1016/j.rpth.2025.102726. PMID: 40224276; PMCID: PMC11992418.

Bleeding Disorders

Antithrombin Assay Supports Fitusiran Therapy

Here’s a link to our 1 April 2025 Sanofi announcement about the FDA approval of Fitusiran® therapy. Sanofi provides the Siemens Healthineers’ INNOVANCE Antithrombin® assay, a chromogenic substrate method, as a companion diagnostic tool to support Fitusiran dosing. A Sanofi-supported study compared eight antithrombin activity assay kits on seven coagulometers to indicate the reagent-instrument combinations […]

Bleeding Disorders

More on Rebalancing Therapy: Suppressing Protein S

Click here for your copy of The World Federation of Hemophilia Shared Decision-making Tool, Hemostatic Rebalancing Therapy. We’ve posted several entries about rebalancing therapy… Pfizer’s Hympavzi® (marstacimab) Anti-TFPI Approved Hemophilia Therapeutics Discontinued Fitusiran Approved March 28, 2025 Fitusiran: A “Rebalancing Agent” Concizumab, A “Rebalancing Agent” August 2024 Quick Question Summary: Rebalancing Therapy Alhemo® (concizumab) Rebalancing […]

Bleeding Disorders

Heparin Resistance in Pancreatitis: Case Report

Click Rongqin D, Zhexin B, Yuzhi L, et al. Heparin resistance in a patient with severe acute pancreatitis: a case report. Lab Med. 2025: lmae126. doi: 10.1093/labmed/lmae126 to access a pre-pub that illustrates a mechanism for heparin resistance in the presence of a normal AT level. Thanks to Margaret G. Fritsma; MA, MLS, SBB for the […]

Does Antiseptic Alcohol Cause Hemolysis?

Collectors routinely disinfect phlebotomy sites with isopropyl alcohol (IPA). We like to repeat a commonly held myth from the “data-free zone” that failure to allow the alcohol to dry before venipuncture causes patient discomfort, blood specimen hemolysis, and blood specimen dilution. The myth is addressed in the attached open access article, Sarmah D, Sharma B, […]

Specimen Management

Underfilled or Overfilled Coagulation Specimen Tubes

The CLSI H21 standard lists causes for coagulation specimen rejection, including hemolysis, icterus, lipemia, clotted specimens, underfilled tubes, and overfilled tubes. In most applications, underfilling is defined as a specimen comprising less than 90% of the stated volume. Most blue-closure tubes contain 0.3 mL of 3.2% sodium citrate and are calibrated to collect 2.7 mL […]

Specimen Management

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George Fritsma is a medical laboratory scientist, educator, and author. George holds faculty appointments with Rutgers University and Michigan State University, and is a member of the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis, American Association of Clinical Chemists, and American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.

Cheat Sheets from George

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