Quick Question Archive

April 2026 QQ Results: VWF Activity

Our April 2026 Quick Question reprises our 2023 QQ that asked, How do you measure VWF activity. Our 29 respondents answered as follows: VWF:RCo: 16 (56%) VWF:GP1bR: 6 (21%) VWF:GP1bM: 5 (16%) VWF:CB: 2 (7%) RIPA: 0 Our 4-1-2026 introductory QQ post attracted this comment from Dr. Emmanual Favaloro, Sydney, NSW, Australia: Hi George, of course, […]

Bleeding Disorders

April 2026 QQ: VWF Activity

Our April 2026 QQ, “How do you measure VWF activity,” reprises our February 2023 QQ that asked: “What VWF Activity Assay do you use?” Discussions at the March 2026 THSNA meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA, have prompted me (Geo) to learn if our choices have changed in three years. We await new data for the […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

March 2026 QQ: LAC Assay

Our March 2026 Quick Question was a poll that asked: “How do you test for LAC when the patient is on a DOAC?” Our 19 respondents answered: Don’t test: 3 (15%) Go ahead and test: 2 (11%) Use a DOAC neutralizer: 12 (63%) Test only for anticardiolipin antibody and anti-Β2GP1: 2 (11%) The DOAC neutralizers […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

March 2026 QQ: LAC Testing When the Patient is on DOAC

Our March 2026 Quick Question is a poll that asks, “How do you test for LAC when the patient is on a DOAC?” This question arises from the discussion in our 2-19-26 post, “CAP Today: Hemostasis Testing While on DOACs.” Often, the provider requests LAC testing for a thrombosis patient on anticoagulation. While the anticoagulant […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

February 2026 QQ Results: DOAC Names

Our February 2026 Quick Question was a quiz that drew 42 responses. The stem asked, “Which DOAC is a direct thrombin inhibitor?” Your answers: Apixaban: 9 (21%) Betrixaban: 0 Dabigatran: 32 (76%) Edoxaban: 0 Rivaroxaban: 1 (3%) We performed well on this question. No one chose betrixaban, an FXa-directed oral anticoagulant that was withdrawn in […]

Anticoagulant Therapy

February 2026 QQ: DOACs

Our February 2026 Quick Question is a quiz that asks, “Which DOAC is a direct thrombin inhibitor?” Since 2010, DOACs have become our primary antithrombotic agents prescribed for prophylaxis or therapy. While more DOACs are on the horizon, the current anticoagulants directly inhibit either thrombin or FXa. Please make your selection in the right-hand column […]

Quick Question Archive

January 2026 QQ Summary: Fibrinolysis

Our January 2026 QQ was a quiz that asked, “What fibrinolytic enzyme digests fibrin?” Here’s how our 34 respondents scored: D-dimer: 0 Plasmin 28 (82%) PAI-1: 2 (6%) TAFI 0 TPA 4 (12%) Congratulations on your successful answers. Here is a summary of fibrinolysis (figure), paraphrased from Walenga JM, Krum KN. Normal Hemostasis. In Keohane EM, […]

January 2026 QQ: Fibrinolysis

Fibrinolysis plays a crucial role in the treatment of thrombosis. The components of fibrinolysis, in no particular order, are plasminogen, plasmin, TPA, TAFI, PAI-1, α2 antiplasmin, FDPs, and D-dimer. Our January 2026 Quick Question in the right column is a quiz that asks, “Which fibrinolysis enzyme digests fibrin?” Please select your answer, and feel free […]

December 2025 QQ Results: Control Proteins

Our December 2025 Quick Question was a quiz that asked, “What plasma control protein acts against FIIa & FXa?” Here’s how our 34 respondents fared… Antithrombin: 27 (79%) Protein C: 5 (15%) Protein S: 1 (3%) Protein Z: 0 TFPI: 1 (3%) We scored well on this question. Antithrombin (AT), when activated by therapeutic heparin […]

Coagulation Factors

November 2025 QQ Summary: Historic Coag Factor Nomenclature

Our November Quick Question summary about Stuart-Prower Factor, linked to a 2023 article by Dave McGlasson about coagulation factor nomenclature. The summary and McGlasson’s article attracted a comment from Dr. Emmanuel Favaloro, which described the nomenclature of traditional and current VWF activity assays. Dr. Favaloro cited three open-access articles on this topic (click to obtain the […]

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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.

Cheat Sheets from George

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