The use of viscoelastic haemostatic assays in non-cardiac surgical settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Preview
Considerable efforts have been made over the past decades to develop rapid and efficient tests capable of guiding transfusion therapies during surgical procedures and severe trauma burdened by heavy blood loss. Viscoelastic haemostatic assays (VHA), including rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM®, Penthapharm, Basel, Switzerland) and thromboelastography (TEG®, Hemoscope-Hemonetics, Niles, IL, USA) are rapid, whole blood assays that can determine clot viscoelastic strength upon coagulation activation by standardised reagents1. With these methods, clotting and fibrinolysis can be studied in whole blood and, therefore, the contribution of platelets and other blood cells to the different phases of coagulation activation can be investigated, together with the formation and propagation of coagulum and its dissolution by fibrinolytic enzymes. [ … ]