Point-of-Care Viscoelastic Hemostatic Assays in Cardiac Surgery Patients: Comparison of Thromboelastography 6S, Thromboelastometry Sigma, and Quantra
Abstract
Objectives
Viscoelastic tests allow a reduction in blood product transfusion. Three modern devices are currently available (rotational thromboelastometry [ROTEM] sigma, thromboelastography [TEG] 6S, and Quantra). No study has compared the performances of these 3 devices simultaneously.
Design
An observational, nonrandomized cohort study.
Setting
A single-center of cardiac surgery in a university hospital.
Participants
A total of 30 consecutive measurements from at least 10 adult patients presenting significant bleeding in the intensive care unit after cardiac surgery
Intervention
Viscoelastic tests using ROTEM sigma, TEG 6S, and Quantra were performed concomitantly with conventional coagulation measurements
Measurements and Main Results
The authors included 16 patients with 31 blood samples. After the exclusion of missing values, 27 samples were analyzed. Correlation with platelet count was as follows: ROTEM, r = 0.84 [0.66-0.93], p < 0.0001; Quantra, r = 0.83 [0.64-0.92], p < 0.0001; TEG 6S, r = 0.64 [0.29-0.83], p = 0.001. Correlation with fibrinogen (Clauss assay) was as follows: ROTEM, r = 0.85 [0.68-0.93], p < 0.0001; Quantra, r = 0.88 [0.74-0.95], p < 0.0001; TEG 6S, r = 0.79 [0.55-0.91], p < 0.0001. No difference was observed for the detection of residual circulating heparin (anti-Xa activity >0.1), with 87% of correct identification for Quantra and 80% for both ROTEM and TEG 6S (p = 0.3). Time to first results after the beginning of the test was shorter for Quantra than ROTEM and TEG 6S (136 [126-152] seconds v 205 [176-221] seconds, p = 0.003 and v 450 [372-516] seconds, p < 0.0001 respectively).
Conclusion
ROTEM sigma, TEG 6S, and Quantra performed similarly for exploring platelet count or residual circulating heparin. Thromboelastography 6S presented a weaker correlation with fibrinogen Clauss.