OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the predictive ability of ROTEM thromboelastometry (Pentapharm, Basel, Switzerland) to identify patients bleeding more than 200 mL/h in the early postoperative period after cardiac surgery. DESIGN: A prospective observational study. SETTING: A single university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-eight adult male and female patients undergoing primary coronary artery revascularization. INTERVENTIONS: Blood samples taken preoperatively and at 1, 2, and 3 hours after surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Eight patients bled at least 200 mL/h in the study period. All (100%) had at least 1 abnormal ROTEM result in the study period. Of the 49 patients not found to be bleeding more than 200 mL/h in any of the first 4 postoperative hours, 46 (94%) had at least 1 abnormal ROTEM result. The positive and negative predictive values were 14.8% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: ROTEM thromboelastometry has poor predictive utility to identify patients who bleed more than 200 mL/h in the early postoperative period after cardiac surgery. However, its negative predictive value was good.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the predictive ability of ROTEM thromboelastometry (Pentapharm, Basel, Switzerland) to identify patientsbleeding more than 200 mL/h in the early postoperative period after cardiac surgery. DESIGN: A prospective observational study. SETTING: A single university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-eight adult male and female patients undergoing primary coronary artery revascularization. INTERVENTIONS: Blood samples taken preoperatively and at 1, 2, and 3 hours after surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Eight patients bled at least 200 mL/h in the study period. All (100%) had at least 1 abnormal ROTEM result in the study period. Of the 49 patients not found to be bleeding more than 200 mL/h in any of the first 4 postoperative hours, 46 (94%) had at least 1 abnormal ROTEM result. The positive and negative predictive values were 14.8% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: ROTEM thromboelastometry has poor predictive utility to identify patients who bleed more than 200 mL/h in the early postoperative period after cardiac surgery. However, its negative predictive value was good.