From Ink Pens to Computers: A Personal Look Back at Landmark Changes during 5 Decades as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist in U.S. Hemostasis Laboratories

Abstract

In 2023, Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, and similarly this will also mark my 5th decade of working in, or association with, laboratories that perform hemostasis testing. My career started at a large military medical center, but I also worked at several other facilities, including military dispensaries, community hospitals, and a large academic institution. The difference between each type of hemostasis laboratory was as expected, with larger facilities having better instrumentation and more prolific test menus. However, whether one worked in a large academic center, or a small rural hospital, regulatory changes affected every clinical laboratory to the same degree. Advances in technology also eventually affected every hemostasis laboratory, but these salient changes were more likely to occur earlier at the larger institutions. As Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis celebrates its 50th anniversary, that milestone triggered recollection about those salient events that occurred during my own career in hemostasis testing. As such, I describe (my impression) the top ten landmark changes that altered laboratory practice at the facilities where I worked during the past 5 decades.

Evolution of Hemostasis Testing: A Personal Reflection Covering over 40 Years of History*

“…I suspect similar recounts are available from other long-lived “coagulationists,” and I refer to the review from Robert Gosselin for an alternative recount from a U.S. perspective. 143…”

“…I suspect similar recounts are available from other long-lived "coagulationists," and I refer to the review from Robert Gosselin for an alternative recount from a U.S. perspective. 143 Several hemostasis instruments have come and gone over time, with our own local experience reflected by the usage of the Coag-A-Mate X2, the ACL-300R, the MDA-180, the BCS XP, and several StaR Evolution analyzers. Some instruments remain in use today, with local experience reflected by the PFA-100, PFA-200, the AggRAM, the CS-5100, an AcuStar, a Hydrasys gel system, and two ACL-TOP 750s.…”

The Most Highly Cited Publications from Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis: A Data Analysis 50 Years in the Making

“…11 12 STH has published several more recent publications mentioning the PFA-100, including its recent remodeling as the PFA-200. 13 14 15…”

Description of an In Vitro Platelet Function Analyzer (PFA-100/PFA-200) 30 Years in the Making

“…35,36 The history of the PFA-100 is now long and rich, and the PFA-100, subsequently morphing into the contemporary PFA-200, has been the subject of several reviews, including several recent "tributes" in this journal. 34,[37][38][39] A PubMed search of "(PFA-100) OR (PFA-200) OR (PFA100) OR (PFA200) OR ("platelet function analyser") OR ("platelet function analyzer")" yields over 1,200 hits (►Fig. 3).…”