Development and Validation of a QuEChERS-LC-MS/MS Method for Simultaneous Determination of Four Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Citrate Plasma and Quantitative Dried Plasma Spots
Kocur
The finding, in our words
The study validated a QuEChERS-LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous measurement of four direct oral anticoagulants in citrate plasma and dried plasma spots, achieving recoveries of 79.6-91.2% and minimal matrix effects. While the method shows promise for therapeutic drug monitoring using microsamples, clinical interchangeability between dried spots and conventional plasma requires confirmation with paired patient samples.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
A 2025 review maps 28 microsampling devices, from dried spots and volumetric absorptive tips to upper-arm liquid capillary collectors, and names what a laboratory must control before their results are used: the haematocrit effect in non-volumetric dried samples, interstitial fluid from finger milking, volume, haemolysis and transport stability. Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic ask for the same two things, a device the patient can use safely and a sample fit for the test.
Capillary blood collection using liquid and dried microsampling devices yielded pharmacokinetic profiles comparable to venous sampling for two monoclonal antibodies and a small molecule, whereas haematocrit correction was necessary for dried formats and bridging was ineffective for hydroxychloroquine. The findings demonstrate the bioanalytical feasibility and patient acceptability of remote microsampling tools for pharmacokinetic evaluations in decentralised clinical trials.
Mandlekar et al., Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (paywalled) · source ↗
Capillary blood collected with the Mitra® device showed correlation with venous samples for paclitaxel therapeutic drug monitoring, but wide confidence intervals suggest the methods may not be interchangeable. While plasma and whole blood concentrations were more closely aligned, the variability raises questions about using self-collected capillary samples for dose individualisation without further validation.
The authors developed and validated high-sensitivity LC-MS/MS methods for tranexamic acid quantification in human whole blood, using either liquid samples or dried samples on volumetric absorptive microsampling devices. The methods performed excellently across clinically relevant concentrations, showed stability for up to one month at +50°C, and were validated with clinical samples, supporting decentralised therapeutic drug monitoring of this antifibrinolytic.
Guardian-collected capillary dried blood spots were feasible for home monitoring of lamotrigine, and for carbamazepine and valproic acid when conversion factors were applied, with only 4 of 190 comparisons risking a conflicting dose decision and negligible risk of patient harm. Levetiracetam DBS showed high variability against plasma and is recommended only for checking nonadherence, not for dose adjustment.
Linder et al., Therapeutic drug monitoring (paywalled) · source ↗