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Agent Orange

This entry was in response to a question from Dennis Brondi: “Hi – I was exposed to Agent Orange and have primary APS (also single parent factor V leiden). Do you know of any studies establishing causation between AO and APS? My issues have included avascular necrosis of both femoral heads and multiple large DVTs […]

Bleeding Disorders

Bleeding Time

I (Geo) received this question on May 23, 2025: “I am using 100 mg of aspirin and 75 mg of Plavix. My PTT is 35.8 seconds; PT 13.8 seconds, INR 1.18; bleeding time is 1 minute and 30 seconds; clotting time is 8 minutes. Are these results normal when using the two drugs together?” I […]

Antiplatelet Therapy

June 2025 Cheat Sheet

Click here to download your June 2025 Cheat Sheet. The Cheat Sheet links you to our May 2025 entries and before. Your personal Cheat Sheet will arrive in your email box 2–5 June. If you are not received the “push” edition of the Cheat Sheet, please fill out the form on the right and we […]

June 2025 Quick Question: Fibrinolysis

Our June 2025 Quick Question asks, Which fibrinolysis component directly digests fibrin? Please find the question on the right side of the “Posts” menu and make your selection. As always, we invite your comments using the function below.

Quick Question Archive

May 2025 Quick Question Summary

Our May 2025 Quick Question was meant to be 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 listed several assays that use the letter C. “Which is the routine assay for inflammation?” It seems that only four of […]

Quick Question Archive

Bovine Chromogenic FVIII Recovery

Click here to read a poster presented at ISLH: Quinton T, Black KM, Sadeghi-Khomami A. Performance of a Novel Bovine Chromogenic Factor VIII Assay in the Recovery of Factor VIII Replacement Therapies. ISLH 2025. The investigators report the efficacy of a chromogenic substrate FVIII assay that employs bovine reagents on several FVIII therapeutics in current use.

Rutgers University Advanced Hemostasis Course

Thank you to Dr. Deborah Josko for her catalog description of Rutgers’ Medical Laboratory Science program CLSC 5124 Advanced Hemostasis Course, This graduate course is offered during the fall academic term for master’s and doctoral-level students. Any certified MLS/MLT professional may attend. This includes those who are not currently matriculated into Rutgers’ graduate programs who […]

Plasma Collection for IVD

Thanks to Mr. Darcy Shannon of Drumlin Plasma, Inc. for the attached SOP, which distinguishes between plasma collected for IVD applications, such as coagulation calibrators, controls, and reagents, and plasma collected to produce therapeutic plasma fractions.

Bleeding Disorders

FVIII-Depleted Reagent Plasma With and Without VWF

The poster, Henneberry S, Rahman M,Wood A, Notini KM, Black KM, Sadeghi-Khomami A. Comparative analysis of commercial factor VIII (FVIII) deficient plasmas with and without von Willebrand factor for FVIII one-stage clotting assay (OSA) was presented on Thursday, 8 May 2025 at the ISLH meeting in Halifax, NS. Click here to see the poster.

Bleeding Disorders

Coagulation Specimen Management

Thanks to Tigist Bekalu for these specimen management questions… What should we do when there is lipemia, icterus (bilirubin), or hemolysis in coagulation tests? Which tests are affected and which are not? How are the results typically reported when we encounter hemolysis, icterus, or lipemia? Sometimes, instead of a number, it just says “Failed.” Also, […]

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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

Quick Question