title: Use of abciximab-modified thrombelastography in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
abstract: Thrombelastography (TEG) is a reliable coagulation monitoring system that can guide blood product transfusion in cardiac surgery. The maximum amplitude (MA) of TEG measures clot strength, which is dependent on both fibrinogen level and platelet function. Inhibition of platelet function with abciximab-fab is suggested to permit quantitative assessment of the contribution of fibrinogen to clot strength. We hypothesized that abciximab-modified TEG permits prediction of plasma fibrinogen levels and that the difference of standard MA and abciximab-modified MA (deltaMA) is a correlate for platelet function. We correlated abciximab-modified MA with plasma fibrinogen levels and deltaMA with platelet count in patients undergoing coronary revascularization. Correlation between plasma fibrinogen levels and abciximab-modified MA was significant (adjusted r2: 0.8; P < 0.0001). Correlation of deltaMA with platelet count was not significant when calculated in millimeters (adjusted r2: 0.04; P = 0.73). However, when deltaMA was calculated in dynes per square centimeter (deltaGMA), it correlated significantly with platelet count (adjusted r2: 0.51; P < 0.0001). We conclude that abciximab-modified TEG may therefore help to discriminate between hypofibrinogenemia and platelet dysfunction as a cause of decreased MA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We examined the use of abciximab-modified thrombelastography in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Modification of thrombelastography with abciximab-fab allows prediction of fibrinogen levels, despite coagulation altered by cardiac surgery. The difference of standard maximum amplitude and abciximab-modified maximum amplitude correlates with platelet function when expressed in dynes per square centimeter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and General Intensive Care, University of Vienna, General Hospital Vienna, Austria. stephan.kettner@akh-wien.ac.at
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kettner
authors.forename: O P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Panzer
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kozek
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Seibt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stoiser
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kofler
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Locker
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimpfer
mesh_terms: D000077284:Abciximab; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D005112:Extracorporeal Circulation; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D010976:Platelet Count; D010979:Platelet Function Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013916:Thrombelastography / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D005340:Fibrinogen; D000077284:Abciximab