The Predictive Value of Thromboelastogram in the Evaluation of Patients with Suspected Acute Venous Thromboembolism

The objective of this prospective study was to examine whether thromboelastogram (TEG) can predict the presence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients who arrive at the emergency room with signs/symptoms that raise the suspicion of acute VTE.

Every patient was tested for D-dimer and all TEG parameters, including: reaction time, clot time formation, alpha-angle, maximal amplitude, clot viscoelasticity, coagulation index, and clot lysis at 30 min. For categorical variables, χ2 or the Fisher exact test were used, and for continuous variables the t test or other non-parametric tests were used.

During 2016, a total of 109 patients were enrolled with a median age of 55.7 (21-89) years. Eighteen patients were diagnosed with VTE. Analyzing the different TEG parameters, both as continuous and categorical variables, did not reveal a statistically significant difference between VTE-positive and VTE-negative patients. Combining different TEG parameters or dividing the cohort according to gender, clinical suspicion of VTE (Well's criteria), or different levels of D-dimer did not change the results of the analysis.

The current study could not demonstrate a significant value of any TEG parameter as a predictor of VTE among patients who came to the emergency room with signs/symptoms that raise the suspicion of VTE.