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Showing posts with the label Coagulation

Simple laboratory tests are playing an important role in risk stratification of COVID-19

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SARS-CoV-2 continues to baffle medical experts with its presentations. It is crucial for clinicians to identify early, those who are at risk. This will aid them in recognizing the future need for admission to ICU, improve allocation of patients for specific therapies and initiation of preventive strategies.   While initially it was assumed that the virus damages only the lungs, studies have concluded its impact on various other organs too. Routine parameters in blood and urine are useful to provide novel insights in the patho-physiology of COVID-19 and its severity.  Significant reduction in Absolute Lymphocyte Count and Hemoglobin, is associated with increase in total WBC count, absolute Neutrophil count, ESR, Prothrombin Time and Pro-calcitonin. These lab findings, especially elevated Ferritin, suggest an imminent ‘Cytokine Storm’ which might lead to complications like Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Pneumonia and Multi-organ Failure (MOD). Important laborat...

Coagulation factors play a key role in diagnosis of liver disease. Choose the right test kit, make the right diagnosis!

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The liver is the powerhouse for the process of blood clotting (hemostasis). Any damage to the liver, can affect the coagulation process, leading to further complications. It is thus important to choose an accurate testing kit that evaluates the changes to the coagulation markers and thus gives an indication of the severity of liver disease.  Coagulation and fibrinolytic factors are universal indicators for detecting a liver impairment, the most accurate one being Prothrombin Time (PT). So, obviously it is critical to ensure that PT is evaluated with a quality diagnostic kit to ensure accuracy of reporting.  Criteria such as good ISI and precision in control (on a day-to-day basis), high linearity and correlation with reference reagents are essential while choosing a kit.  The Erba Protime LS from Transasia Bio-Medicals is a liquid stable, standardized, rabbit brain thromboplastin reagent with an excellent <1% CV and high linearity on serial dilution. Whe...