Do we really follow specimen collection guidelines? The CLSI… (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) provides careful guidelines for coagulation test specimens in H21-A4, “Collection, transport, and processing blood specimens for testing plasma-based coagulation assays and molecular hemostasis assays”, approved guideline–fifth edition. I’m curious how well we follow our guidelines. For instance, do we really separate […]

Are platelets the primary culprits in acute coronary syndrome? Some recent studies imply… …that platelets are involved in both plaque formation and plaque rupture. I leave today, July 16, 2007, for the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (www.ascls.org) and American Society for Clinical Chemistry (www.aacc.org) annual meeting in San Diego. Friday, I’m giving a […]

Evidence is growing that we can use whole blood and plasma/urine markers…  …to indicate aspirin response. In my July 16, 2007 post I mentioned a presentation I’ll be giving on Friday at the ASCLS/AACC annual meeting in San Diego. I’ll be describing platelet adhesion molecules and their relationship to cardiovascular disease. That is not the […]

We’ve grown accustomed to using the chromogenic anti-Xa heparin assay to monitor unfractionated (standard) heparin…  … and low molecular weight heparin (Enoxaparin, Tinzaparin, or Dalteparin). And most of us have gone to the hybrid standard curve so we no longer need two curves, one for unfractionated and another for low molecular weight heparin. However, many […]