Thrombelastography

Thrombelastography is a 'near patient' test of coagulation. It is easy to p erform and can provide information on a patient's coagulation status within 30 min. Despite more than 25 years of clinical experience, however, severa l basic questions relating thromboelastograph (TEG (R)) parameters to stand ard coagulation tests remain unanswered, and the value of the TEG (R) is es tablished only in the setting of orthotopic liver transplantation and cardi opulmonary bypass surgery. This review will focus on the principles and pra ctise of the TEG (R) and data supporting the current accepted uses. Potenti al future uses will also be discussed including evaluation of hypercoagulab le states, and investigating the mechanism of coagulopathies due to drugs o r disease that standard tests have failed to unravel. (C) 2001 Lippincott W illiams & Wilkins.