Course Outline
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- Introduction
- Introduction to the Lupus Anticoagulant (LA)
- Antiphospholipid Syndrome
- Lupus Anticoagulant
- Patients who present with lupus anticoagulant (LA) have a prolonged clotting time and are prone to bleeding.
- Clinical Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Clinical Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, continued
- Clinical and Laboratory Criteria for the Diagnosis of APS
- What are the criteria needed to make a diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)?
- Bleeding Complications in Patients with SLE
- Preanalytical Variables and Specimen Processing
- Testing
- Testing for the Lupus Anticoagulant
- Screening with the Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT)
- An aPTT reagent is considered sensitive if it has a decreased concentration of phospholipids.
- Thrombin Time (TT) and Reptilase Time
- Heparin Neutralization
- Mixing Study
- A patient that presents with an LA will have a mixing study that corrects.
- Dilute Russell Viper Venom Time (dRVVT)
- Hexagonal Phase Neutralization
- What is the addition of normal plasma to the hexagonal phase neutralization test used to rule out?
- Other Assays: Clotting Tests
- Other Tests: Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
- Testing Guidelines
- Interference in LA Testing
- Treatment
- Conclusion
- References
Additional Information
Level of instruction: Intermediate
Intended Audience: Medical laboratory scientists, medical technologists, and technicians. This course is also appropriate for medical laboratory science students, pathology residents, and other healthcare personnel who are responsible for prescribing and administering antiplatelet and anticoagulant medications.
Author Information: Donna D. Castellone, MS, MACSP, MT(ASCP)SH, is the Quality Manager for the Specialty Laboratory and the Supervisor of the Special Coagulation Laboratory at Columbia Medical Center New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York. She has a Master's Degree in Health Science. Donna has published over 100 articles and written chapters in five books. Additionally, Ms. Castellone has over 35 years of experience in Hematology and Coagulation.
Reviewer Information: Andrea G. Gordon, M.Ed, MT(ASCP)SH, has over 25 years of experience as a Program Director for various laboratory science programs. She has approximately 5 years of experience as an administrator in higher education as a VP and Director of Education. Additionally, she has over 15 years of experience as a volunteer for NAACLS.
Review Information: Laurie Bjerklie, M.A., MLS(ASCP)CM is
currently a Content Developer for MediaLab and LabCE. She earned a B.S. in
Medical Laboratory Science from the University of North Dakota
and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Saint Xavier
University. She has over 15 years of experience in higher
education and has held faculty positions in both MLT and MLS
programs. She most recently served as the Program Manager of Medical
Laboratory Science at Saint Louis University.