Johannes Zipperle on the ClotTalk Podcast
With recent advances in the field of coagulation research, the importance of precise diagnostic methods for personalised medicine is increasingly coming into focus. In the latest episode of the Medical University of Vienna’s ‘ClotTalk’ podcast, Johannes Zipperle, coordinator of our Translational Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine (TAP) research group, sheds light on the role of blood platelets (thrombocytes) in coagulation diagnostics.
ClotTalk guides listeners through exciting and clinically relevant coagulation topics in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine in informal discussion rounds. In the current episode of the podcast, which is organised by the Coagulation Working Group of the Department of Anaesthesia, General Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Therapy at the Medical University of Vienna, coordinator DDr Johannes Zipperle and anaesthetist Dr Christoph Dibiasi explain important aspects of various platelet function tests. These tests are intended to map the influence of living cells on the dynamic process of blood coagulation and are the focus of efforts to further close the gap between the laboratory and clinical decision-making.
Platelet function tests are among the most complex diagnostic tests. They often require a high level of expertise to interpret and are prone to errors, which makes them difficult to use in clinical practice. Nevertheless, the tests provide valuable information for the diagnosis of (acquired) platelet dysfunctions, such as those that can be observed after taking certain medications. These ‘blood-thinning’ drugs (e.g. aspirin) are widely used and pose particular challenges for medical staff if the person concerned is injured and there is severe bleeding. Maintaining blood coagulation in the emergency department and intensive care unit, as well as managing the intake of anticoagulant medication, fall within the remit of anaesthetists. Johannes Zipperle and Christoph Dibiasi explain in the podcast what role the diagnosis of platelet function plays in this context and what aspects need to be considered for a successful test procedure.
Besides the focus on regional anaesthesia and pain medicine, coagulation research at the LBI Trauma is in full swing. In addition to Johannes Zipperle, Herbert Schöchl, former head of the working group and pioneer in the field of trauma-induced coagulation disorders, has already been a guest in two previous episodes of the ClotTalk podcast.
Links to the podcast episodes:
