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Clot Club: Hemophilia Therapy

on 11/13/2024, Fritsma Factor colleague Dave McGlasson, Clot Club contributor, posted Extended Half-life (EHL) Testing for Factor VIII (FVIII) and Factor IX (FIX) Therapies. His entry provides comprehensive laboratory assay information for managing all current factor concentrates and bypassing therapies.

Bleeding Disorders

Lupus Anticoagulant Testing

Anfal Helu asked: I have a question regarding the screening and confirmatory testing for the lupus anticoagulant (LA). Recently, a young female pt was clotting everywhere after a hospital visit for a status epilepticus attack during which she was intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation. She had 2 pulmonary emboli, 2 MI, ischemic colitis, renal […]

FVIII Level and Inhibitor Studies

From Chad Siniard, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital Laboratory Medicine. George, We have a FVIII activity level that is exactly 30%. We haven’t documented an official level for triggering an inhibitor titer, though our coag lab scientist Laura Taylor customarily runs an inhibitor assay if the result is <30%. We assayed using […]

September 2024 Quick Question: PTT

I (Geo) prefer PTT to APTT or aPTT because the “A” or “a” is superfluous. Laboratory scientists no longer offer an “unactivated” PTT. The “partial thromboplastin” reagent consists of a phospholipid or combination of phospholipids that may include animal, plant, or synthetic sourced phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, sphingomyelin, and/or phosphatidylethanolamine. Accompanying the phospholipid is one of […]

Is DRVVT Normalization Necessary?

The clot-based dilute Russell viper venom test (DRVVT) reagent activates the coagulation mechanism’s common pathway at the factor X (10) level, relying only on factor V, prothrombin, and fibrinogen for clot formation. The DRVVT test complements the PTT-based assay for lupus anticoagulant (LAC) detection. Because LAC is phospholipid (PL)-dependent, both assays use a minimal-phospholipid (PL) […]

March 2024 Cheat Sheet

Click here for our March 2024 Cheat Sheet or watch for yours in your inbox next week.

World Thrombosis Day Friday, October 13

Dear George., We are excited to kick off the countdown to the 10th anniversary of World Thrombosis Day (WTD) next week, and we can’t wait to share this remarkable milestone with you. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering dedication and tireless efforts of our incredible global partners like yourself. As we approach […]

October 2023 Cheat Sheet

Here is your October Cheat Sheet. Watch for your personal copy coming soon in the email. If you’d like to receive a personal copy, please add your email address, first name, and last name to the Cheat Sheets from George feature that appears on the home page. Feel free to provide your comments on our […]

Arabic Numerals?

Frequent FF contributor Dave McGlasson, MS, MLS posted this comment in LinkedIn on 9/7/23. “I have noticed at recent meetings and in some journal articles that coagulation factors are sometimes referred to in Arabic instead of Roman numerals. For example F8 instead of FVIII. Has this been officially proposed as a change by any standardization […]

Welcome Rutgers Graduate Students

Colleges, universities, medical schools, residencies, and fellowships are welcome to review and comment on our entries and services and take advantage of our Educational Modules. Beginning today, August 31, 2023, we salute 20 or more Rutgers University graduate students enrolled in CLSC 5124; Advanced Hemostasis. Our students are in Rutgers’ Masters in Clinical Laboratory Science […]

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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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