ABSTRACT
Laboratory evaluation of hemostasis has been performed using plasma for several decades.
The cell-based model of coagulation has now led to renewed interest in the global
assays of coagulation such as thrombin generation and thromboelastography. These tests
have remained as research tools, however, because of the lack of studies to demonstrate
their reliability. The number of publications in the field of thromboelastography
is growing daily, and many areas of clinical medicine are targeting the ability of
this assay to evaluate in real time the process of coagulation and fibrin polymerization.
It is clear that the methods employed by different investigators differ significantly,
and therefore the results are not comparable. It is therefore critical to standardize
the assay to achieve clinical relevance. This article summarizes the TEG-ROTEM Working
Group's efforts to try and standardize thromboelastography and the challenges faced
in this process. Although this has been the first effort to standardize this test,
it is extremely important to continue this work, so that we may investigate the usefulness
and possible applications of thromboelastography in evaluating the process of hemostasis.
KEYWORDS
Thromboelastography - standardization - hemostasis
REFERENCES
mchitlur@med.wayne.edu
