“I’m excited by the untapped potential of thrombin generation assays. This new approach might help us compare blood thinner treatments and predict the risk of clots and bleeding in our patients.” -Dr. Joseph ShawThrombosis physician Dr. Joseph Shaw knows blood thinners are great for preventing blood clots. But sometimes people taking these drugs need to be able to form blood clots again, like before a surgery, or if they start bleeding in the brain or gut (a possible complication of taking blood thinners.) 

Physicians often use a drug called Prothrombin Complex Concentrate (PCC) to restore the blood’s clotting ability, but it’s unclear how well it works. In the largest study of its kind, Dr. Shaw’s team is looking at patients’ blood-clotting ability before and after they receive PCC as part of routine care by using a new test called a thrombin generation assay. 

Older clotting tests only measured a small fraction of the blood clotting process and did not capture the effects of PCC very well. Dr. Shaw is also studying whether thrombin generation measurements can predict who is more likely to experience bleeding after major surgery.

“I’m excited by the untapped potential of thrombin generation assays. This new approach might help us compare blood thinner treatments and predict the risk of clots and bleeding in our patients.” -Dr. Joseph Shaw

Dr. Shaw was recently appointed as an associate scientist in the Clinical Epidemiology Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. He is hematologist and thrombosis medicine specialist at The Ottawa Hospital and assistant professor at the University of Ottawa.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.