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Elevated Protein C and Protein S

This question arrived on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, from Soha Abuelela: “I have a protein C level above 150% and a protein S level above 200%. What is the interference and significance?” We assay for protein C and protein S deficiency when a person has experienced an unprovoked venous thromboembolism (VTE, clotting) event such as […]

Platelet Clumping

I received this question on Friday, January 17, 2025: “Hello, where can I find guidance or literature on using sodium citrate tubes to mitigate platelet clumping?” Thank you for your question. This question was partially addressed in a March 11, 2024 post entitled Platelet Satellitism, however, I’ve attached two open-access articles that are helpful. First […]

Differential Discussions: Clinical Aspects of Type 1 VWD

Here is a follow-up to the 1-1-2025 Differential Discussion: VWD type 1 and the Ristocetin Cofactor Assay hosted by Malissa Norfolk and David Calder. Our second discussion is a brief overview entitled Clinical Aspects of Type 1 von Willebrand disease.

Bleeding Disorders

Annals of Blood Author Interview

The 2018 article, Ernst DJ, Fritsma GA, McGlasson DM. Labeling tubes before collection threatens patient safety, 2018 Annals of Blood, doi: 10.21037/aob.2018.02.06 earned the journal’s Readers’ Choice Award for being accessed more than 20,000 times. AOB Editor Jin Ye Yeo invited me (Geo) to provide a written interview, released on December 18, 2024. Thanks to […]

Differential Discussions: VWD Type 1 and RCo.

Thanks to Malissa Norfolk and David Calder for our Differential Discussions conversation describing the time-honored Ristocetin Cofactor (VWF:RCo) test for von Willebrand factor activity, a member of the von Willebrand disease diagnostic assay, released January 1, 2025 on YouTube. Please click the link and join the discussion.

Bleeding Disorders

Medical Laboratory Science Career Pathway

This post is a departure from our hemostasis focus. I (Geo) am a Medical Laboratory Scientist practitioner and educator. If you wish to apply your science knowledge to a humanitarian career, consider our profession. On December 6, 2024, ASCP’s Am J Clin Pathol published Guenther GA, Shahrir SF, Skillman SM, Kundu I, Garcia E, Frogner […]

January 2025 Fritsma Factor Cheat Sheet

Hello, click here to see our January 2025 Cheat Sheet with a summary of our recent Quick Questions and several November and December Fritsma Factor entries. If you would like to receive your copy via email, add your name and email to the cheat sheet invitation on the right to join our database. Participation is […]

January 2025 Quick Question: The PFA 100/200

Please navigate to our December 21, 2024 entry PFA-100/200, which features Brenda Goforth‘s question and the subsequent discussion by Dave McGlasson and Dr. Emmanuel Favaloro. The entry cites three references, one of which is open access, and click here for a basic PFA-100/200 protocol copied from a link in the December 21 post. In further […]

Platelet Function Testing

Dec 2024 QQ: Whole Blood Clot Detection

Our December 2024 Quick Question, “How do you detect small clots in whole blood specimens?” drew 44 responses. Here are our results… Plastic dowel: 0 Observe plasma: 1 (2%) Wooden dowel (stick): 34 (78%) Tilt tube and observe: 8 (18%) We don’t check for clots: 1 (2%, I–Geo–added this vote, it does not represent a […]

Quick Question Archive

Alhemo® (concizumab) Rebalancing Agent Approved

A second anti-TFPI rebalancing reagent, Novo Nordisk’s Alhemo® (concizumab), which we described in our 7/24/2024 post, earned FDA approval on 12/20/2024. Concizumab is approved for hemophilia A and B patients with inhibitors. Alhemo joins Pfizer’s anti-TFPI Hympavsi rebalancing agent, which was approved in October 2024. We anticipate a third rebalancing agent, fitusiran, currently in clinical […]

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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