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More on Covid and LAC

Thanks to Dr. Ali Sadeghi-Khomami, Precision BioLogic Inc., for sending a current editorial in press, Aubignat M, Godefroy O. COVID-19 and ischemic stroke: Should we systematically look for lupus anticoagulant and antiphospholipid antibodies? Revue neurologique 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurol.2020.05.001. Please refer to our May 6 entry on antiphospholipid syndrome and the comment from Dr. Ning Tang. The […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

Covid and Convalescent Plasma

Margaret and George Fritsma attended the American Society for Clinical Pathology May 11, 2020 Virtual Town Hall presentation, “Covid-19 and the Blood Bank,” now recorded and available to all. The presentation featured panel participants Kimberly W. Sanford, MD, MASCP, Virginia Commonwealth University, ASCP President-Elect; Melody Boudreaus Nelson, MS, MLS [ASCP], Laboratory Operations Manager; Advent Health, […]

Covid and Lupus Anticoagulant

Two compelling publications appear to implicate lupus anticoagulant as a key factor in prolonged PTT results documented in seriously ill Covid victims. These could account for prolonged PTTs in the absence of hemorrhage. They are: Bowles L, Platton S, Yartey N, et al. Lupus anticoagulant and abnormal coagulation tests in patients with Covid-19. Downloaded from […]

May 2020 Quick Question: D-dimer

Colleague Dave McGlasson commented that some of the Covid articles from China reported D-dimer and fibrin degradation products (FDPs) on their critically ill patients, prompting our May, 2020 Quick Question, What assay do you use to monitor disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)? If you answer “neither,” please indicate in the comments section if you use one […]

April, 2020 Quick Question: HEMLIBRA Results

Our April, 2020 Quick Question was: “How does your facility measure factor VIII during HEMLIBRA therapy?” Here are our answers from 29 respondents: a. One-stage PTT-based FVIII assay: 17% (5) b. Two-stage chromogenic FVIII assay: 45% (13) c. PTT-based assay calibrated to emicizumab: 10% (3) d. There is no reliable assay: 28% (8) Dr. Ali […]

Bleeding Disorders

ISTH Virtual Congress

Thanks to Elaine Benoit, Precision BioLogic Inc. for current information about the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis’s Virtual 2020 Congress, planned for July 12–14. Registration is free. Click or tap here for the ISTH announcement and registration.

Covid and Hemostasis

On April 22, the Washington Post published an informative and alarming article on the relationship between Covid infection and hemostatic abnormalities. Critical Covid cases involve sepsis and abnormal hemostasis, primarily venous thromboembolic disease. The most current and authoritative resources for VTE management are the American Society of Hematology Covid Q&A site, https://lnkd.in/eDeurb7, and the Anticoagulation […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

World Hemophilia Day

Today, April 23, 2020 is World Hemophilia Day. Click or tap here and visit the World Federation of Hemophilia site, where you find in-depth information and a webinar featuring care for hemophiliacs in the face of Covid-19. Our sponsor, Precision BioLogic Inc. is an annual WHD sponsor.

Bleeding Disorders

More on Covid Testing

Thanks to Bob Gosselin for this current comprehensive Guiseppi Lippi review of Covid testing–click or tap here.

DRVVT Controls

A brief question from friend and colleague Kirk Guyer, BioMedica Diagnostics, Inc: When a coag lab runs controls for DRVVRT, do they analyze the controls only based on clotting time or do they also use the ratio as a pass/fail criteria? We’ve had two answers so far. Frequent contributor Dave McGlasson checks the ratio for […]

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George Fritsma is a medical laboratory scientist, educator, and author. 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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