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April 2023 Cheat Sheet

Here is your April 2023 Cheat Sheet. Watch for your copy via email soon and happy Spring!

VWF: Friend or Foe

I [Geo] will present, “Von Willebrand Factor, Friend or Foe: MA, TTP, aHUS, STEC-HUS, MAHA, PLEX, TIC, ADAMTS13, VWF What Does it All Mean?” for the combined ASCLS-Alaska, -Washington, and -Oregon on Friday, April 21, 1–2 CDT, and again for ASCLS-North Dakota on Friday, April 28, 2–3 CDT. These presentations are virtual. Click here for […]

National Medical Lab Week

Medical Laboratory Professionals Week is an annual celebration of medical laboratory professionals who play a vital role in health care and patient advocacy. In celebration, we’ve posted three new Educational Modules on the topic of hemophilia, titled Hemophilia History, Hemophilia Treatment, and Hemophilia Diagnosis. For Lab Week information, proceed as follows… National Lab Week in […]

April 2023 Quick Question: Prince Alexis

On 3/30/2023 we posted a series of three updated hemophilia audio PowerPoints. Our April 2023 Quick Question asks “What was Russian Prince Alexis’s disorder?” The choices are: Hemophilia A [FVIII deficiency] Hemophilia B [FIX deficiency] Hemophilia C [FXI deficiency] Unknown. You will find the answer under Educational Modules, Hemophilia Part 1: History

March 2023 Quick Question: Apixaban Reversal

Our March 2023 Quick Question asked, “Which reversal agent is effective in managing apixaban overdose?” Our 45 respondents chose: rFVIIa [NovoSeven]: 4 [9%] Andexanet alfa: 28 [62%] Idarucizumab: 5 [11%] Vitamin K: 6 [13%] FFP: 2 [5%] Before direct reversal agents became available, DOAC overdose-related bleeding was treated by attempting to absorb undigested anticoagulant from […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

Dabigatran Recall

Thanks to Dave McGlasson for forwarding this Medscape bulletin [click] announcing Ascend Laboratories’ recall of 10 dabigatran lots due to the detection of the nitrosamine impurity, N-nitroso-dabigatran, a potential carcinogen.

Anticoagulant Therapy

Mixed DOACs and the DOAC Clotting Time Test

In a January 2023 letter to the editor, available from the publisher or your library as Exner T, Ellwood L, Dangol M, Favaloro EJ. Mixing factor Xa and thrombin inhibiting direct oral anticoagulants produces a synergistic prolonging effect on most clotting tests. Int J Lab Hematol. 2023 Feb 21. doi: 10.1111/ijlh.14043, investigators examined a DRVVT-based […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

March, 2023 Cheat Sheet

Hello, all subscribers, here is your March 2023 Cheat Sheet. Your personal Cheat Sheet will arrive in your email within a few days. Enjoy!

March 2023 Quick Question: Apixaban Reversal

Our March 2023 Quick Question addresses DOAC reversal and asks, “Which reversal agent is effective in managing apixaban overdose?” Please give us your best selection and add your comments in our Comments section below this post. The question will be available through March 31.

Anticoagulant Therapy

February, 2023 Quick Question: VWF Activity Assays

Our February 2023 Quick Question, “What VWF activity assay do you use?” attracted 32 responses. Here are the results: Automated VWF:RCo: 12 [38%] VWF:RCo: 10 [31%] VWF:GP1bR: 3 [9%] VWF:GP 1bM: 4 [13%] VWF:Ab: 2 [6%] VWF:CB: 1 [3%] Although the aggregometer-based ristocetin cofactor activity assay [VWF:RCo] is criticized for poor reproducibility, with interassay CV […]

Bleeding Disorders

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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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