Thromboelastography – why especially that?

Overview

The review article presents current possibilities of hemocoagulation monitoring, with a special attention to its disorders in the operating roomsetting and ICU setting. The core of the article is devoted to thromboelastography (TEG). This method has been used experimentally since 1948.However, that method did not attract greater attention until last two decades. The greatest advantage of TEG is to assess the course of hemocoagulationin real time, and provide us with a thorough information on thrombogenesis and thrombolysis. TEG can simplify the diagnostic procedures of manycoagulation disorders, while making the final diagnosis more accurate. TEG has a potential to become a cornerstone for principal diagnostic andtherapeutical decisions (operational revision, blood products transfusion, etc.) and provides a scientific background for those decisions. TEG representsa unique method which is going to find its place in intensive care setting and many surgical disciplines.

Key words:
thromboelastography – hemocoagulation – hemocoagulation disorders – fibrinolysis – examination methods