Introduction:Dynamic monitoring of coagulation is important to predict both haemorrhagic
and thrombotic complications and to guide blood product administration.
Reducing blood loss and tailoring blood product administration may improve
patient outcome and reduce mortality associated with transfusion. The
current literature lacks a systematic, critical appraisal of current best
evidence on which clinical decisions may be based.Objectives:Establishing the role of different coagulation markers in burn patients,
diagnosing coagulopathy, tailoring blood product administration and
indicating prognosis.Methods:Literature during 2004–2017 from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus,
Medline and Embase was reviewed. Eligibility criteria included randomised
controlled trials, systematic reviews, multi-/single-centre study and
meta-analyses. Keywords searched were ‘burns’, ‘blood coagulation
disorders’, ‘rotem’, ‘blood coagulation’ and ‘thromboelastography’. The
PRISMA flow system was used for stratification and the CASP framework for
appraisal of the studies retrieved.Results:In total, 13 articles were included after inclusion/exclusion criteria had
been applied to the initial 79 studies retrieved. Hypercoagulation increases
in proportion to the severity of thermal injury. Whole blood testing, using
thrombelastography (TEG) and rotation thromboelastometry (ROTEM), was
superior to standard plasma based tests, including prothrombin time (PT) and
activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) at detecting burn-related
coagulopathies.Conclusions:Routine laboratory markers such as PT/APTT are poor indicators of coagulation
status in burns patients. Viscoelastic tests, such as TEG and ROTEM, are
efficient, fast and have a potential use in the management of burn patients;
however, strong evidence is lacking. This review highlights the need for
more randomised controlled trials, to guide future practice.
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