Director, Mustafa Al-Kawaaz, MD

Supervisor,Janine Whitis, MT (ASCP) - (502) 562-3524

Specialty Technologist, Coagulation, Mary Embry - (502) 562-3788

Description of Services

The Hematology and Coagulation laboratory at University of Louisville Hospital offers a wide range of clinical laboratory tests in the areas of hematology, coagulation, body fluid analysis, and urinalysis. Hematology services include bedside assistance during bone marrow procedures, pathologic interpretation of bone marrow biopsies, and clinical pathologic consultations. The coagulation laboratory offers testing for assessment of bleeding and thrombotic tendency, with pathology consultation for test interpretation. The laboratory works to support key clinical services in the hospital and associated clinics, including hematology/oncology, the operating room, labor and delivery, neonatal nursery, emergency room, bone marrow transplant service, hemophilia clinic, and stroke service. Point of care testing is part of the comprehensive services provided, including coumadin clinics for oncology and general medical patients.

Teaching

Residents in pathology spend time on rotations in both hematology (two months) and coagulation (one month). Learning is experienced through both hands on involvement with patient care, lectures, and conferences. Clinical laboratory scientists, residents, and hematology faculty attend a weekly hematology/oncology conference. Interesting cases are presented at monthly resident lectures. Many of these cases are ones that residents become involved in through clinical pathology on-call rotations. The learning in fluid hematology incorporates time spent in the flow cytometry laboratory (affiliated with the Brown Cancer Center). Knowledge in solid hematology is gained through the surgical pathology services, which include review of bone marrow examinations, lymph node biopsies, and work-up of biopsies for hematologic disorders.

Research

Research efforts in hematology/coagulation currently are primarily aimed at improving laboratory testing with evaluation of new techniques/procedures. Pathologists and residents work with clinical laboratory scientists to evaluate new tests and to devise testing protocols useful to other hematology services. Most recently, this has included developing a testing algorithm for lupus anticoagulants, investigating platelet function in red-haired individuals for anesthesia, and evaluating new methods for rapid platelet function analysis.