T
his is the tale of two entities—the clinical laboratory and
the platelet. The clinical laboratory has been an essential
tool in the detection, diagnosis, and management of disease
for most of a century. As we move into the era of personalized
or precision medicine, the role of the clinical laboratory
is becoming ever more closely linked to the care of patients.
Platelets and their functions can no longer be considered exclusively
tied to hemostasis, or limited to a day shift specialty
lab. The number and manner of ways platelets behave has yet