The effectiveness of Thromboelastography (TEG) or thromboelastometry (ROTEM) to guide transfusion treatment versus usual care in liver transplant.

Abstract

The accuracy of the TEG/ROTEM as diagnostic test has been proved(19) and systematic reviews were performed to aggregate the evidence from different clinical scenarios (mainly cardiac surgery). Assess the impact of the intraoperative point of care use of TEG or ROTEM versus conventional coagulation tests (CCT) on the blood components transfusion, bleeding, complications, mortality, hospitalization and costs during adult LTX surgeries. I used PICOS framework to establish the research questions (objectives section) and the inclusion criteria. Type of studies included. The eligibility criteria were randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled trials (RCTs and non-RCTs). Primary outcomes: mortality at maximal follow up, allogeneic transfusion requirements: packaged red cells (PRC), platelets, fresh frozen plasma(FFP), cryoprecipitates), complications (medical adverse event that may be related to the coagulation status). Secondary outcomes: blood loss (however measured by authors), total hospital stays, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, costs (of the transplant surgery or of the patient in-hospital treatment). A total of 183 studies were identified and a PRISMAbased diagram was constructed and 8 of them were selected to assess. Six articles were found in full text and were screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria. Five trials had the selected outcomes and inclusion criteria and the quality was assessed with a critical appraisal approach to identify bias and confounders. In conclusion, TEG/ROTEM directed blood products replacement in LTX might be effective in reducing FFP transfusion during the intraoperative. Further studies are required to confirm this finding and to assess the overall requirements of other blood products, bleeding mortality and complications.