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

DOACs Preferred in Afib

Here’s a January 31, 2019 Medscape article describing updated guidelines for using DOACs in non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

Anticoagulant Therapy

Coag Quandaries

George has attached Anne Paxton’s article, Navigating the Quandaries of Coagulation Testing, (click or tap) featuring Drs. Michael Laposata, Dot Adcock, and Kristi Smock. The article features the need for laboratory-clinician communication.

Anticoagulant Therapy

CoaguCheck Test Strip Recall Part 2

Here is a December 20, 2018 FDA announcement describing a recall of CoaguCheck test strips distirbuted in the US. The lot of test strips, calibrated to the latest INR reference materials, may return erroneously high INR results that could affect Coumadin dosing. This is the second recall of CoaguCheck test strips, the first recall was […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

2018 ASH VTE Rx Guidelines

As you have noted from our Conference Calendar, the American Society for Hematology annual meeting begins today in San Diego, CA, USA. Foremost in the hemostasis world, ASH today published a series of thoroughly researched and provocative VTE prophylasis and treatment guidelines, which the organization is making available online free of charge. Their offering will […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

CoaguCheck Test Strip Recall

Thanks to Ali Sadeghi-Khomami PhD, Precision BioLogic, and Joan Polancic, MS MLS, Denver Health, for the heads-up on this announcemment: Roche Diagnostics, the manufacturer of CoaguChek meters and test strips, is recalling the CoaguChek XS PT Test Strips due to inaccurate INR test results, when compared to laboratory results. Roche re-calibrated the CoaguChek XS PT […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

R-T Estimation of the INR

Despite the onslaught of direct oral anticoagulants, Coumadin still occupies an important place in anticoagulation. Most facilities employ POC instruments that rapidly generate the PT/INR, and most choose to confirm all INRs that exceed 4.0 by collecting venous blood and performing a plasma-based PT/INR. A 2016 report describes the R-T estimation formula designed to correlate […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

August, 2018 Quick Question

Here are the results of our August, 2018 Quick Question, answered by 93 participants:. Stem: What is the FDA-approved assay for anti-Xa DOACs? a. Thrombin time: 12% (11) b. Prothrombin time: 8% (7) c. Partial thromboplastin time: 8% (7) d. Chromogenic anti-Xa using DOAC calibrators: 72% (68) This was perhaps a “trick” question. The US […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

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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