title: Use of point-of-care testing for plasma therapy.
abstract: Use of point-of-care testing (POCT) has been driven by limitations of laboratory-based testing as a tool for decisions for transfusions of blood components. Clinical settings such as liver transplantation, cardiothoracic surgery, and trauma are particularly in need of such diagnostic tests because of the complex coagulopathies that can develop in these settings of substantial hemorrhage and need for blood component support. Successful implementation of POCT requires collaboration between surgery, anesthesia, critical care, and the laboratory to ensure proper quality control of equipment, operator training and competency, medical records test results, billing procedures, and consensus-derived transfusion algorithms for cost-effective, targeted blood component transfusion support. In this review we summarize clinical evidence for the effectiveness of POCT, along with some future directions for this strategy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Stanford University, and Transfusion Services, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California 94305, USA. ltgoodno@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Lawrence Tim
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Goodnough
authors.forename: Charles C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D016913:Blood Component Transfusion / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013502:General Surgery / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000379:methods; D010949:Plasma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic