Work

Comparison Of Thrombelastogrpahy With Common Coagulation Tests

Year: 1981

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: Thrombelastographic (TEG) results were compared with hematocrit (HCT), platelet count (PLT), prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), fibrinogen concentration (FIB), and fibrin split products (FSP) concerning the ability of the test or tests to differentiate between 141 normal adult volunteers and 121 patients with histologic evidence of malignancy. The cancer patients were studied because they represent a contrasting group with respect to coagulation abnormalities. Using canonical correlation, the normal subjects’ TEG and coagulation tests captured all significant information in a single dimension, indicating that a single variation in the coagulation tests would result in a single change in the TEG. In the cancer patients, 3 pairs of functions were required to capture the correlations between the TEG and the other tests. 1. The first, which accounts for 40.8% of the correlation, links the abnormal rates and magnitudes of fibrin polymerization in the TEG to static constituents (HCT, PLT, and FIB) 2. The second, accounting for 22.6% of the correlation, relates the kinetics and magnitude of clot formation in the TEG to both dynamic and static measurements (PLT and PTT) 3. The third equation relates the kinetics of coagulation to kinetic assays (PTT, PT, and FSP) This implies that 3 independent processes may be occuring in the cancer patients and this information is captured by the TEG. In addition, discriminant function analysis demonstrated that the TEG alone was capable of a 96.7% discrimination between the two groups, while all the other tests combined could only predict 72.3%. Thus, due to its ability to be simultaneously sensitive to different processes, the TEG may add valuable information to the coagulation testing regimen.

Source: Thrombosis and Haemostasis

DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1653081