The role of point of care thromboelastography (TEG) and thromboelastometry (ROTEM) in management of Primary postpartum haemorrhage: A meta-analysis and systematic review
Department of Anaesthesia, Pain Medicine and Critical Care, AIIMS, New Delhi, India. Department of Anesthesia, AIIMS, Patna, Bihar, India. Department of Anesthesia, and Critical Care, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
BACKGROUND The utility of instantaneous evaluation of coagulation during primary postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is paramount in the context of empirical blood product transfusion-related risk of dilutional and consumptive coagulopathy and circulatory overload. METHODS A profound screening of electronic databases till August 15, 2022 was carried out after being enlisted in PROSPERO (CRD42021275514). Randomized control studies, comparative cohort studies, and cross-sectional
studies comparing point-of-care viscoelastic test guided blood product transfusion with empirical transfusion in patients with PPH were included. RESULTS We retrieved five studies, with a total of 1914 parturient with PPH. Patients receiving transfusion based upon point of care viscoelastic tests had lesser risk of having emergency hysterectomy (Odds ratio (OR) = 0.55, 95% CI 0.32-0.95, I(2) = 7%), transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) (OR = 0.03, 95% CI 0.00-0.50), reduced transfusion of fresh frozen plasma (OR = 0.07, 95% CI 0.04-0.14, I(2) = 89%), platelets (OR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.28-0.91, I(2) = 89%), packed red blood cell transfusion (OR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.55-0.88, I(2) = 89%), and had better cost-effective treatment [Mean difference (MD) = -357.5, 95% CI - 567.75 to -147.25, I(2) = 93%] than patient received empirical transfusion. However, there was no significant difference in the requirement of ICU admissions (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.46-1.29, I(2) = 82%). No mortality was detected across the studies. CONCLUSIONS Point of care viscoelastic assessment guided transfusion in PPH confederates with reduced morbidity. Nevertheless, more studies on the triggering values for transfusion, long-term survival, and cost-benefit in patients with PPH are warranted to establish its utility.
