Christiaan N Mamczak, Jacob Speybroeck, John E Stillson, Joseph Dynako, Andres Piscoya, Ethan E Peck, Michael Aboukhaled, Emily Cancel, Michael McDonald, Diego Garcia, John Lovejoy, Stephanie Lubin, Robert Stanton, Matthew E Kutcher
The application of viscoelastic hemostatic assays (VHAs) (e.g., thromboelastography (TEG) and rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM)) in orthopedics is in its relative infancy when compared with other surgical fields. Fortunately, several recent studies describe the emerging use of VHAs to quickly and reliably analyze the real-time coagulation and fibrinolytic status in both orthopedic trauma and elective orthopedic surgery. Trauma-induced coagulopathy-a spectrum of abnormal coagulation phenotypes including clotting factor depletion, inadequate thrombin generation, platelet dysfunction, and dysregulated fibrinolysis-remains a potentially fatal complication in severely injured and/or hemorrhaging patients whose timely diagnosis and management are aided by the use of VHAs...
July 12, 2022: Journal of Clinical Medicine