Monitoring Viscoelastic Blood Properties during Pediatric Cardiac Surgery: The Challenge of Data Driven Hemostasis

Abstract

Thromboelastography, a point of care graphical representation of the activation of coagulation and fibrin polymerization process, assists clinicians in making diagnostic and transfusion-related decisions in the perioperative setting. There is growing interest in applying this technology to pediatric cardiac surgery and this article reviews the currently available evidence for the use of thromboelastography (TEG) and thromboelastometry (ROTEM) in this population. A few studies exist on the use of TEG/ROTEM to accurately guide transfusion and positively impacting patient outcomes, indicating a need for additional studies to validate its utility during pediatric cardiac surgery.