Coagulation and fibrinolysis testing are essential aspects of the clinical laboratory and pathology. Coagulation testing is often overshadowed by larger sections of the clinical laboratory. 'Coag' often becomes an orphaned discipline with lab medicine. But coagulation testing remains high-volume and of high clinical importance.
While most know that labs perform many prothrombin (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) tests, it's easy to forget that other, more nuanced coagulation tests can help diagnose disorders and dysfunctions of the coagulation cascade. This course aims to reacquaint laboratorians with some of the more common coagulation disorders and describe the testing used to differentiate and diagnose them. Although the aim of this course is not to delve too deeply into test methodologies, it will be necessary to briefly describe the rationale and analytical techniques used for the testing mentioned.
It must also be noted that there are dozens of coagulopathies. This course is certainly not meant to be an exhaustive exploration into the many heritable and acquired diseases and conditions that affect hemostasis. Instead, we will focus on the most common disorders that laboratorians would expect to encounter. As you go through the course, pay particular attention to each condition's acuity (i.e., severity). Also, note how they differ from each other with regard to testing and clinical presentation.
