T. Feys MBA, MSc

Should we measure DOACs?

At the time of the introduction of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in the beginning of this century, episodic and routine monitoring of these drug concentrations was deemed unnecessary. Unlike oral vitamin K anticoagulation, DOACs showed predictable pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. However, once in clinical practice it became clear that under specific circumstances predictability of drug concentrations was less than optimal. During his educational presentation, Prof Johathan Douxfils (Univeristy of Namur) provided some answers to the questions why, when, and how we should measure DOAC concentrations.

State of the Art I: Thrombosis

The first state of the art session of the 2018 annual BSTH meeting focused on thrombosis. While Dr. Anna Falanga (Hopsital Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy) and Dr. Cihan Ay (Medical university of Vienna, Austria) specifically addressed the close relationship between thrombosis and cancer, Dr. Walter Ageno (Ospedale di Circolo, Varese, Italy) discussed the practicalities of managing splanchnic (SVT) and cerebral vein thrombosis (CVT).

Accomplishments and prospects in haemostasis

With “Looking back at the history of haemostasis with a sneak peek into the future”, Marc Hoylaerts (Center for Molecular and Vascular Biology, KU Leuven, LEUVEN, Belgium) gave his personal view on the field of haemostasis. He did this in the lecture in memory of and named after Professor Gaston Baele, who became the first president of the BSTH over 25 years ago.

The new mechanism of autoimmunity is a HIT

Starting off the second day of the annual meeting of the BSTH, Andreas Greinacher (Greifswald, Germany) presented on the mechanism behind heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). A mechanism that is part of an evolutionary old defence mechanism against prokaryotic pathogens. However, when misdirected this pathway displays an until recently unknown mechanism of autoimmunity.

Micro-organisms and coagulation

The coagulation system is rarely left alone. Microorganisms, both harmless and harmful, can affect the function of the system, which can have clinical consequences of variable severity. The second State of the art session, entitled “microorganisms as an environmental factor”, chaired by prof. Simon De Meyer and dr. Muriel Sprynger featured several presentations on the interactions between these small lifeforms and thrombosis and haemostasis.

New haematology reimbursements in Belgium

OVERVIEW OF BELGIAN REIMBURSEMENT NEWS

(BELG J HEMATOL 2018;9(6):245)

Highlights of the WFH 2018 World Congress

SUMMARY

From the 20^th till the 24^th of May 2018, Glasgow formed the background for the annual meeting of the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), the largest international meeting for the bleeding disorders community. The therapeutic options for people with haemophilia (PWH) have rapidly evolved in the last five years. Moving on from conventional plasma-derived and recombinant clotting concentrates (CFC), there are now extended half-life CFCs as well as several novel haemostasis agents (e.g. emicizumab). In addition, gene transfer proved to be successful for both haemophilia A and B patients. It has been demonstrated that all these products provide better haemostasis and convenience than conventional CFCs. This summary will focus on new data presented with some of these novel therapeutic options during WFH 2018. For a complete overview of abstracts presented during the meeting we would like to refer to the official congress website (https://www.wfh.org/congress/en/home).

(BELG J HEMATOL 2017;9(5):199–201)