HSL Special Coagulation

The HSL Special Coagulation Laboratory, located at the Royal Free Hospital, is a dedicated laboratory that provides a specialist haemostasis and thrombosis diagnostic and treatment monitoring service for patients with inherited or acquired bleeding and thrombotic disorders. We serve a wide population.

Laboratory services include:

• A highly specialised laboratory service offering a range of tests for the definitive diagnosis of congenital and acquired bleeding and thrombotic disorders. This service includes:
• A full repertoire of tests for the work-up of inherited and acquired bleeding disorders.
• Standard and non-replacement treatment monitoring and factor inhibitor detection assays for patients with Haemophilia, von Willebrand’s disease and other Rare Bleeding Disorders.
• A full repertoire of tests for the work-up of inherited and acquired thrombophilias.
• All types of anticoagulation treatment monitoring.
• A rapid access laboratory service to many specialist tests through prior discussion with the Haemophilia Registrar or Consultant at the Royal Free Hospital.
• A laboratory reference service for other Haemophilia treatment units.
• An evening out-of-hours on-call service to cover specialist coagulation tests required for an urgent diagnosis or treatment monitoring.
• A confirmation laboratory reference service for other laboratories.
• A national educational service for clinicians, clinical scientists, biomedical scientists and medical personnel invited to the department to receive training through International Haemophilia Training Centre (IHTC) programmes and fellowships.
• A clinical trial and contract research service, which includes clinical trials of therapeutic materials and analysis and validation of new methodologies.

HSL Special Coagulation is a UKAS Accredited Medical Laboratory (9345).

Urgent requests

During laboratory working hours urgent requests need to be marked clearly on the sample request.

Out-of-hours and urgent requests must be discussed with the Royal Free Hospital Haemophilia and Thrombosis Consultant on-call.

Specialist coagulation tests offered out-of-hours include those required for:

• Diagnosis of inherited or acquired haemophilia
• Quantification of clotting iactor Inhibitors
• Urgent treatment monitoring in patients with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders
• Factor assay measurement for ‘urgent’ investigations of isolated prolonged Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) and Prothrombin Time (PT) tests.
• Urgent anticoagulant levels (including LMWH, UFH, Danaparoid (Orgaran) anti Xa levels, Fondaparinux (Arixtra), Apixaban, Rivaroxaban and Edoxaban levels).
• Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT)
• Antithrombin levels in patients on l-asparaginase treatment

See below for contact details and arrangements in place when sending urgent requests (i.e. those requests whose results are required for immediate patient management).

The laboratory will endeavour to report all urgent tests within the published turnaround times. In addition, please call the laboratory for results of urgent tests.

Location

The HSL Special Coagulation Laboratory is located on the first floor, Royal Free Hospital Medical School building next to the Peter Samuel Hall, Hampstead site.

HSL Special Coagulation, Haemophilia and Thrombosis Laboratory
Floor 1
Royal Free Hospital
Pond Street
London
NW3 2QG

Opening times

The Laboratory is open between 09:00 and 17:30 Monday to Friday, and 09:00 and 17:00 at weekends and public holidays.

At other times please contact the On-call Consultant for the Haemophilia Centre via the Royal Free Hospital Switchboard 020 7794 0500 if the on-call BMS is required.

Contacts during working hours

Tel: Direct (020 7830 2274) or via Royal Free Hospital (RFH) Switchboard 020 7794 0500 ext. 34485, 34484 (BMS) or Bleep 71-1811 (Haematology Specialist Registrar).

Email: rfh.haemophilia@hslpathology.com (only for non-urgent query use)

Contacts out-of-hours

By arrangement with the on-call Haematology Specialist Registrar and Haemophilia Consultant via RFH Switchboard (020 7794 0500).

On-Call BMS Air call number: 340, contact via RFH Switchboard (RFH Switchboard 020 7794 0500).