Anticoagulant Therapy

August, 2019 QQ: DOAC Bridging

Our August, 2019 Quick Question, suggested by frequent contributor, Dave McGlasson, demonstrated the variability in clinical antithrombotic therapy bridging policies when a patient requires a procedure. Here is the question and answers provided by 70 participants: A 60-YO man taking 20 mg/day rivaroxaban for AFIB needs a high bleeding risk surgery. His creatinine is 0.9 […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

Anticoagulation After Valve Replacement

According to an August 28, 2019 Medscape post, according to pooled PARTNER 2 results, early anticoagulation was independently associated with fewer strokes after surgical valve replacement (hazard ratio, 0.17; P = .006) but with more minor bleeding after transcatheter valve replacement (HR, 1.72; P = .01). Click or tap here for the Medscape post.

Anticoagulant Therapy

July 2019 CAP DOACs Article

The July, 2019 issue of CAP Today offers an article describing hemostasis testing for patients on DOACs by Dr. Dorothy M. Adcock, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, LabCorp. Tap or click here for “What is the Impact of Direct Oral Anticoagulants?”

Anticoagulant Therapy

Vitamin K Kinetics

George received a series of questions about vitamin K kinetics from colleague and friend Catherine N. Otto, MLS, PhD, Rutgers University. Dr. Otto is assisting a Nutrition Science colleague. It seems that vitamin K deficiency (as defined by PT/INR) does not show up until there is serious depletion in the amounts of these activated proteins. Why? […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

FVL and AC Therapy

From friend, colleague, and frequent contributor Dave McGlasson: A friend contacted me about if her should be put on an anticoagulant. He is a 71 year old male who in 2004 suffered a DVT. A subsequent work-up revealed he possessed a heterozygous factor V Leiden mutation. At the time of the clot he had been […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

Rivaroxaban in CHF

On Wednesday, June 5, The Heart.org posted this entry, “Rivaroxaban Cuts Stroke Risk in Sinus-Rhythm Heart Failure: COMMANDER-HF.” (Click or Tap). This is the first publication that implicates an advantage for DOAC therapy in addition to antiplatelet therapy in preventing ischemic strokes and transient ischemic attacks in patients with congestive heart failure with. The key […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

FVIII and FIX Activity Survey

We hope that you’ve taken the opportunity to respond to our specimen integrity survey, which remains open for a few more days. We now offer a second survey developed by Precision BioLogic Inc., asking about new approaches to monitoring our many new formulations of factor VIII and factor IX concentrate. This has become a consuming issue […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

Andexxa Conditional Approval in Europe

The Heart.Org reports that the the Rivaroxaban and Apixaban reversal agent Andexxa (andexanet alpha) has earned conditional approval by the European Medicines Agency. Click or tap here for details.

Anticoagulant Therapy

Andexxa Study Results

On February 15, Heart.org reviewed the outcomes of a study published in the New England Journal documenting the clinical efficacy of andexanet alfa (Andexxa). The study is the first to illustrate clinical outcomes, cessation of bleeding, compared to previous data that used laboratory outcomes as evidence for reversal. Click or tap here to see the […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

Coumadin and Cortisone Interaction

A subscriber asks, I just received this week a cortisone shot in my knee. I am and have been on Warfarin for many years. Since the shot I seem to be dizzy and light headed. Is this common? Hello, and thank you for your question, as a laboratory scientist I can comment that there is […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

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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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