title: A novel approach for detecting hypercoagulability utilizing thromboelastography.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The thromboelastograph is a point-of-care, global hemostasis assay that measures the dynamics of clot formation, including physical properties, over time and is licensed for use in monitoring coagulation during complex surgical procedures. It has more recently been used as a research tool to investigate various bleeding and clotting disorders. Although attempts have been made to use thromboelastography to detect hypercoagulable states, thus far a consistent, reliable approach has not been discovered. The objective of this study was to develop a novel approach utilizing thromboelastography that is sensitive for detecting hypercoagulability.
  
  
  METHODS
  Healthy, adult volunteers provided blood samples that were subjected to pre-analytic modifications from standard thromboelastography methods with the goal of prolonging clot initiation and propagation times. The methods which resulted in the desired changes in a consistent and reliable manner utilized corn trypsin inhibitor, a contact pathway inhibitor, on unactivated blood samples. To demonstrate that these methods are sensitive to detecting hypercoagulability, increasing concentrations of recombinant human thrombin were added as a surrogate for hypercoagulability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our methods were able to consistently and statistically significantly change the baseline TEG parameters of R time, K time, and angle in the desired fashion. Additionally, these methods were able to detect increasing concentrations of thrombin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We describe a novel approach in which thromboelastography is highly sensitive to detecting increasing concentrations of thrombin in vitro. Further studies are underway to determine if these methods will be sensitive for detecting hypercoagulable states in vivo.
authors: Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, United States. rko@chla.usc.edu
authors: Richard H
authors: RH
authors: Ko
authors: Lingyun
authors: L
authors: Ji
authors: Guy
authors: G
authors: Young
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013916:Thrombelastography / Q000379:methods*; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult