We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App




Costly Blood Clot Test Has Few Benefits

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 17 Nov 2016
It has been proposed that hospital patients, who have already been diagnosed with venous thromboembolisms or VTEs, do not need a positive genetic test to justify taking medication and making other changes to prevent future ones.

The hereditary thrombophilias are a group of inherited conditions that predispose to thrombosis. More...
Heritable deficiencies of the endogenous anticoagulants protein C, protein S, and antithrombin have been recognized for some years, but their prevalence, even among patients with familial thrombosis, is low.

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School (Ann Arbor, MI, USA) have reviewed the ordering of inherited thromboembolism testing on inpatients. There are several tests for several traits, so patients often get them in combination, what's called a hypercoagulable workup. But if doctors are following guidelines grounded in evidence, the test result should rarely change a patient's care. Often, it appears, the test gets ordered to satisfy curiosity about why a patient had a VTE, to see if they are among the 7% of Americans with a genetic mutation that makes blood more prone to clot. So, except in very specific cases where such clots are highly likely, such as women with a family history of clots who are pregnant or getting hormone replacement therapy, there is little reason to do the test at all for inherited thrombophilia.

Ideally, genetic tests to find out whether someone carries a certain genetic trait should be used when there is clear information about the risks, benefits and costs of that test. However the team illustrated the situation by applying this information to a hypothetical case of a young patient with a VTE but no family history who suffers a pulmonary embolism, a dangerous health emergency where clots form in the lower extremities and travel to the lungs, potentially cutting off oxygen to the body unless treatment starts quickly.

The scientists note the conclusions about VTE prevention and treatment that have been reached by several medical bodies that recommend against giving clot-prevention medication to people with the genetic trait but no VTE history. Lauren Heidemann, MD, an assistant professor of medicine and first co-author, said, “Physicians and patients should resist the temptation to perform costly search for an underlying genetic cause of venous thrombosis.” The study was published on October 26, 2016, in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

Related Links:
University of Michigan Medical School


New
Gold Member
Quality Control Material
iPLEX Pro Exome QC Panel
Serological Pipet Controller
PIPETBOY GENIUS
New
Silver Member
Autoimmune Hepatitis Test
LKM-1-Ab ELISA
New
Silver Member
Quality Control Material
Multichem ID-B
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: Pancreatic cancer diagnosis (Photo courtesy of World Journal of Gastroenterology)

AI-Driven Preliminary Testing for Pancreatic Cancer Enhances Prognosis

Pancreatic cancer poses a major global health threat due to its high mortality rate, with 467,409 deaths and 510,992 new cases reported worldwide in 2022. Often referred to as the "king" of all cancers,... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.