Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs): Measurands and Interferents in the Clinical Laboratory

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), such as direct thrombin inhibitors and direct factor Xa inhibitors, are increasingly prescribed in various clinical scenarios for both adult and pediatric patients.  This has implications for the clinical laboratory, as DOACs may interfere with common coagulation tests.  Furthermore, though these medications do not require routine monitoring, clinicians often want to rule them out in patients presenting with life-threatening bleeding or requiring emergent procedures. This session will discuss laboratory approaches to measure DOACs and to manage their interference with coagulation testing.

Learning Objectives: 

• Compare and contrast the mechanism of action for DOACs versus other common anticoagulants, such as warfarin and heparin.
• Explain the impact of DOACs on common coagulation tests.
• Evaluate the utility of laboratory testing for DOACs in emergency settings.

Labroots is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E. ® Program. By attending this webinar, you can earn 1 Continuing Education credit once you have viewed the webinar in its entirety. CE credits are available for this webinar up to 1 years from the date of the live broadcast.