Comparison between thromboelastography and conventional coagulation assays in patients with deep vein thrombosis

Background: Conventional coagulation assays (CCAs) are of limited value in the assessment of coagulation status in patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT). We aimed to compare thromboelastography (TEG) and CCAs in identifying DVT and evaluating coagulation status in DVT patients. Methods: Sixty-six patients diagnosed with DVT and forty healthy controls were enrolled. Blood samples were collected within 4 h of patients' admission to hospital before any operation and tested by TEG and CCAs. TEG and CCA parameters were compared between DVT patients and controls. The ability of each parameter in identifying DVT was assessed. Pearson's correlation was used to determine the correlation between TEG and CCA parameters among the study population. Results: TEG showed significant differences between DVT patients and controls, indicating a hypercoagulable tendency in patients suffering from DVT. In contrast, no significant difference regarding CCAs was observed between the DVT and control group. Furthermore, TEG displayed a better capacity in identifying DVT than CCAs. In addition, Pearson's correlation analysis showed TEG and CCA parameters had few correlations. Conclusion: TEG has advantages in identifying DVT and detecting hypercoagulability, and provides a better insight in evaluating coagulation status in patients with DVT than CCAs.

Automated summary

The research compared thromboelastography (TEG) and conventional coagulation assays (CCAs) in identifying deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and evaluating coagulation status. Results showed that TEG displayed significant differences between DVT patients and controls, indicating a hypercoagulable tendency in DVT patients. TEG also showed better capacity in identifying DVT than CCAs and had few correlations with CCA parameters.