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Thromb Haemost 2021; 121(09): 1181-1192
DOI: 10.1055/a-1346-3178
Coagulation and Fibrinolysis

Hemostasis in Coronavirus Disease 2019—Lesson from Viscoelastic Methods: A Systematic Review

Artur Słomka 
1   Department of Pathophysiology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum Bydgoszcz, Poland
,
Mariusz Kowalewski
2   Clinical Department of Cardiac Surgery, Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
3   Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Heart and Vascular Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
4   Cardiothoracic Research Centre, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum Bydgoszcz, Poland
,
Ewa Żekanowska
1   Department of Pathophysiology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum Bydgoszcz, Poland
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Hemostatic unbalance is often observed in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and patients with severe disease are at high risk of developing thromboembolic complications. Viscoelastic methods (VEMs), including thrombelastography (TEG) and thromboelastometry (TEM), provide data on the nature of hemostatic disturbance. In this systematic review, we assessed the performance of TEG and TEM in the assessment of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis in patients with COVID-19. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, medRxiv, and bioRxiv were systematically searched for clinical studies evaluating TEG and/or TEM variables in COVID-19 individuals. Ten studies, with a total of 389 COVID-19 patients, were included, and VEMs were performed in 292 of these patients. Most patients (90%) presented severe COVID-19 and required mechanical ventilation. TEG and TEM variables showed that these patients displayed hypercoagulability and fibrinolysis shutdown, despite the use of appropriate thromboprophylaxis. However, the mechanism underlying these phenomena and their clinical significance in COVID-19 patients who developed thrombosis are still not clear. Further studies are warranted if VEMs might help to identify those at highest risk of thrombotic events and who therefore may derive the greatest benefit from antithrombotic therapy.

Keywords

coronavirus disease 2019 - COVID-19 - viscoelastic methods - thrombelastography - thromboelastometry

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 16 October 2020

Accepted: 02 January 2021

Accepted Manuscript online:
05 January 2021

Article published online:
03 March 2021

© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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