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Point of Care Platelet Function Testing

Here is another note from Dr. James Quesenberry, St. Lukes Laboratory, Sioux City, Iowa regarding point-of-care platelet function testing using the Siemens PFA-100. His comments… This is a test that we don’t do often but is a pain in our sides. We have always required a path interpretation, usually the patient has multiple medical problems […]

Platelet Function Testing

Antithrombin Deficiency Affects Heparin Assays

Another important issue addressed by Dr. James Quesenberry, St. Luke’s Laboratory, Sioux City, Iowa. His message: I understood from early on that antithrombin (AT, antithrombin III, ATIII) deficient patients can’t be assayed for unfractionated heparin using the Stago chromogenic anti-Xa heparin assay. I thought this was an all-or-none issue, only a big deal in congenital […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

World Thrombosis Day Today

World Thrombosis Day Today, Friday, October 13: Engage Your Patients, Colleagues or Students WTD 2017 is focused on venous thromboembolism (VTE) and hospitalization as a leading risk factor for VTE. VTE can be prevented, yet patients at high risk for developing the condition often don’t receive life-saving prevention. Engage with your patients, colleagues and/or students […]

Conference Calendar

George and Elaine Benoit have updated the Conference Calendar for 2017–18. Please send George a note if you would like us to add your event.

C-reactive Protein

From Ali Sadeghi-Khomami, Precision BioLogic: Hi George, First of all congratulations for a decade of your valuable blog. It came certainly a long way and proudly as well. Your blog nowadays is the first site visited by many researchers who are seeking to find a solution for their coag problem. I hope to see its […]

Arterial Thrombosis

Ten Years of Fritsma Factor

I can’t believe it, but October 1, 2007 was the official Fritsma Factor launch. Now, with loyal and generous Precision BioLogic Inc. sponsorship, we are officially ten years old. Please see the attached press release below, or on the PBI web site. Oh, and by the way, PBI is also celebrating 25 years of Cryocheck […]

Anti-Xa and PTT Conflict

George met James T. Quesenberry, MD, FCAP, Medical Director, St. Luke’s Laboratory, UnityPoint Health at the Mayo Medical Laboratories Bleeding and Thrombosing Diseases conference, Rochester, MN, September 13–15, 2017. Dr. Quesenberry subsequently addressed the issue of the ant- Xa vs PTT in monitoring heparin therapy. His message, “Our protocol for unfractionated heparin dosing uses the […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

PTT Mixing Studies

A message from Rose Markarian, Providence Health & Services: What is the purpose of incubating pooled normal plasma (NP) separately and the patient’s plasma separately for 60 minutes? Then after 60 minutes of incubation you mix them together and run to get a PTT and this is labeled as control tube. Please explain! Thank you […]

Monitoring Extended Half-life Factors

From Allen Quigley, Hematology/Coagulation Technical Specialist, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. George, what is the best way to measure factor VIII and IX levels on patients that are being infused with different products? We perform one stage clotting assays using Actin FSL, which is an ellagic acid activator, and other labs may use reagent […]

Bleeding Disorders

Two New Textbooks

George announces two September 2017 publications, Hemostasis and Thrombosis, Methods and Protocols, ISSN 1940-6029, Humana Press, co-edited by colleagues Emmanuel Favaloro PhD and Giuseppe Lippi, PhD. My co-author Dave McGlasson and I contributed Chapter 26, Whole Blood Lumiaggregometry. Today, September 27, 2017, Elsevier released Transfusion Medicine, Apheresis, and Hemostasis (ISBN: 978-0-12-803999-1), co-edited by my UAB […]

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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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