Title:A Review of the Current Role of Blood Clotting Analyzers in Clinical Practice
VOLUME: 17 ISSUE: 3
Author(s):Karan Sarode*, Saad S. Hussain, Alan Tyroch and Debabrata Mukherjee
Affiliation:Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, Texas, TX, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX, Department of Surgery, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX
Keywords:Viscoelastic tests, clot analyzer, coagulopathy, trauma, surgery, coagulation tests.
Abstract:Background: Viscoelastic tests (VETs) such as thromboelastography, rotational
thromboelastography, and the Sonoclot Analyzer assess the entire process of clot formation through
dissolution in real-time, and may provide additional therapeutic value to conventional laboratory
coagulation tests. With the ability to obtain rapid results and identify specific coagulopathies, VETs
has been examined in a variety of clinical scenarios, including cardiac surgery, trauma, obstetric
emergencies, and liver transplant.
Conclusion: This review provides a summary of clinical trials utilizing VETs in the aforementioned
clinical scenarios, and suggests that VETs have demonstrated a capability to identify
coagulopathies, utility in guiding algorithms to reduce the amount of transfusions, and a limited
ability to predict bleeding events or mortality.
