Quantitation of the Oral Anticoagulants Dabigatran, Rivaroxaban, Apixaban, and Warfarin in Plasma Using Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).

This chapter describes a method to measure the oral anticoagulants dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and warfarin in plasma samples using ultra-performance liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The instrument is operated in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source in positive ionization mode. Samples are extracted with a 90:10 methanol/0.1 N hydrochloric acid solution containing stable isotope-labeled internal standards for each analyte. After centrifugation the supernatant is transferred to a mass spectrometry vial, injected onto the UPLC-ESI-MS/MS, and quantified using an eight-point calibration curve.