Global assays in hemophilia

Meera Chitlur1, Guy Young2

  • 1Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.

Seminars in Hematology
|January 26, 2016
PubMed

The quest for the ideal method to study hemostasis in the evaluation and management of patients with bleeding disorders such as hemophilia is an ongoing effort. With the rapid evolution of biotechnology and the emergence of several new products for treatment of patients with hemophilia with and without inhibitors, there is a great need for tests that can be used to reliably evaluate and monitor our interventions. Global assays in coagulation allow the study of the interaction between the components involved in the process of hemostasis and are therefore considered by many to be more reflective of the in vivo hemostatic mechanism. Here we provide a brief review of the most widely used global assays in hemostasis (thrombin generation and thromboelastography) and their utility in the evaluation and management of hemophilia.