Does In Vivo Citrate Affect PT or PTT?

From Madan Verma: Hi George. I am wondering if there are any correlation studies about whether switching hemodialysis patients from heparin to 4% sodium citrate will affect the prothrombin time (PT) or partial thromboplastin time (PTT). Thank you. Hello, Madan Verma, and thank you for your patience. I found over 500 PubMed references, most of which […]

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Screening Assays

Sep 19 2012

george

Reduce Blue-top Tube Volume?

From Maria E. Martinez. Is anyone re-adjusting anticoagulant levels in blue tops? We atOrlando Health have a large NICU and collecting a 2 mL blue top sometimes can be a huge demand. I have heard of re-adjusting the 200 uL anticoagulant in the 2 mL blue top to 100 uL and instructing the nurse to draw up […]

Specimen Management

Preparing PPP

From Rebecca Jones, Trinity Medical Center, Birmingham: Hey George, love the website! If only all disciplines had access to all this knowledge! Thanks for all you do. I have another question for you to ponder…or not. What is your feeling about performing a “hard spin” on coagulation specimens? We do a “quick spin” for 2–3 minutes […]

Specimen Management

PT & PTT on a Lipemic Specimen

From Janice Stringfield, Jennie Stuart Medical Center, Hopkinsville, KY: We have an extremely lipemic specimen that we have a prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT, PTT) ordered on from the ED. How do you get a result? We can’t find anyone that does a mechanical method anymore. Do you have any suggestions? Hi, Janice, […]

Specimen Management

Specimen Management in Fibrinolysis

I had the opportunity to become reacquainted with Jennifer Jacobsen, MLS (ASCP),Allina Health Laboratories, Minneapolis, while attending the Mayo Laboratories Coagulation Testing Quality conference in Rochester, Minnesota August 7–10. Jennifer has this question about specimen management on patients being treated with tissue plasminogen activator (TPA, Activase®, Alteplase®): George, both the prescribing information for Alteplase and Stago’s fibrinogen reagent package […]

Fibrinolysis

D-dimer: Double-spin?

Hi George. Why is it not important to double-spin D-dimer specimens for platelet poor plasma (PPP) when there’s a delay in testing? Is this because D-dimers are not affected by labile factors as other coag testing? Looking forward to your answer. Teresa Lovejoy, MT (ASCP) Senior Medical Technologist, Hematology Children’s of Alabama. Birmingham, AL Hi, […]

Fibrinolysis

Lipemia, Hemolysis, and D-dimer

From “Cristina:” What is the reason why lipemic and hemolyzed coagulation sample should be rejected? Is it only the D-dimer is susceptible? Thanks. Hello, and thank you for your question. Lipemia is likely to cloud the final reaction solution in a photo-optical method, interfering with the results. On all instruments, the quantitative D-dimer is a […]

Fibrinolysis

Heme Binds Factor VIII

There is a thought-provoking article in the June, 2012 issue of Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis: Repesse Y, Dimitrov JD, Peyron I, et al. Heme binds to factor VIII and inhibits its interaction with activated factor IX. J Thromb Haemostas 2012;10:1062–71. The authors do not speculate on in vitro specimen hemolysis, however their findings could provide additional […]

Specimen Management

How to Remove IgG

This question was posted on Wednesday, May 23 on Pat Letendre’s Medlab list and is reposted here with Linda Stang’s permission: We have a patient with lymphoma and an IgG peak (we think). The antibodies are interfering (and I mean really interfering) in the coags: INR >5.0 but has had clinical challenges with no bleeding. Is there any way to remove […]

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Anticoagulant Therapy

May 11 2012

george

More on Hemolysis: Dr. Marques

Here is a photo sent by my friend and colleague Marisa Marques, MD, director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital special coagulationand transfusion medicine laboratories. Her message was in response to the April 27 post on Hemolysis and the Heparin Anti-Xa by “Danagah.” The photo was taken in 2005 by special coagulation technologist Patti Tichenor of two specimens […]

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Specimen Management

Specimen Management

Does In Vivo Citrate Affect PT or PTT?

Reduce Blue-top Tube Volume?

Preparing PPP

PT & PTT on a Lipemic Specimen

Specimen Management in Fibrinolysis

D-dimer: Double-spin?

Lipemia, Hemolysis, and D-dimer

Heme Binds Factor VIII

How to Remove IgG

More on Hemolysis: Dr. Marques

George Fritsma MS MLS

Cheat Sheets from George

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