Bleeding Disorders

Coagulation Studies for the Ebola Patient

Pat Doleski suggests that the recommended Ebola patient coagulation test is the PT. What is the hemorrhagic process that occurs in the Ebola patient that the PT is the best screening to direct the use of blood products? We are in the process of setting up a secure ER lab specifically for this type of […]

Bleeding Disorders

Vetigel

The January 1, 2015 issue of Fortune contains a brief article about Vetigel, which the writer describes as a “liquid bandage.” Vetigel, under development by Suneris, is initially targeted to the veterinary market, but will become available to the military, first responders, and eventually the public pending FDA clearance. Vetigel is a vegetable product that, […]

Bleeding Disorders

Transfusion News

Thanks to John Gerlach, PhD, Michigan State University for introducing us to Transfusion News, supported by Ortho Clinical Diagnostics. I’ve added Transfusion News to our Links page.

Bleeding Disorders

Yet More on Promacta

This is from friend and colleague, Dean Willett, Instrumentation Laboratory: Hi, George; A few points to consider… There are two potential sources of interference here: biochemical and optical. Much like hemolysis, if the sample contains biochemical interference, results will be affected regardless of detection method. In the absence of any data it’s not clear if this drug […]

Bleeding Disorders

More on Promacta

From my friend Ali Sadeghi-Khomami, PhD, Precision Biologic Inc: Eltrombopag is a diazo derived compound that acts like pH indicators, i. e., it changes colour at different concentrations of hydronium ions. Thus it is expected that it interferes with chromogenic assays such as the bilirubin assay, especially when assay calibration will not match the colour of the testing sample. […]

Bleeding Disorders

Promacta and Brown Plasma

From John Mitsios, MD at Cornell. Hi George! I had a question regarding the effects of eltrombopag (Promacta®, a TPO stimulating agent), which is typically given to patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), on routine coagulation assays. The reason for this question is that it has been observed in some patients that at high doses the plasma […]

Bleeding Disorders

Ristocetin Cofactor Assay

From Kelly Townsend: Is anyone using the BioData PAP-8e for ristocetin cofactor (RICO) testing? We’ve moved from the old PAP-4 to the newer version, but are struggling with the assay. We’d appreciate being able to correspond with anyone who is sucessfully running RICO on the PAP-8e.

Bleeding Disorders

What is PF3?

Each year George enjoys the opportunity to teach in Dr. Elaine Keohane’s graduate course, CLSC 5124, Advanced Hemostasis at Rutgers University School of Health Related Professions. Our students are experienced medical laboratory scientists from all over the world, and they bring a wealth of practical knowledge. Dr. Keohane is teaching a section on platelet physiology this week, and […]

Bleeding Disorders

In Vivo Hemolysis

Irene Regan writes that despite doing major literature searches there seems to be no consensus regarding what coagulation results should be released when there is a suspicion of in vivo hemolysis such as in disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), when the samples are grossly haemolysed. Currently, Irene issues a fibrinogen (Clauss) and in this case she generally […]

Bleeding Disorders

Factor XIII Concentrate

In February 2011, the plasma-derived CLS Behring factor XIII concentrate Corifact™received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to provide bleeding prophylaxis for patients with rare congenital factor XIII (fibrin stabilizing factor) deficiency. In January, 2013, the FDA extended Corifact’s indication to include management of perioperative bleeding in factor XIII-deficient patients. The Corifact package insert is attached here: Corifact Prescribing […]

Bleeding Disorders

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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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