Analysis of Viscoelastic Testing in Pediatric Patients Using the Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Outcomes Registry.

Use of viscoelastic tests (VETs), including thromboelastography (TEG) and rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM), is increasing in the management of anticoagulation in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patients. A retrospective review of data on 265 pediatric (<20 years old) ECMO patients who underwent VET and were submitted to the Pediatric ECMO Outcomes Registry (PEDECOR) was conducted to describe common coagulopathies in patients who underwent VET; associations between the VET parameters and traditional tests of coagulation; and comparisons in blood product usage in patients who underwent VET with those who did not. We calculated patient-level summary statistics and assessed differences between the groups using χ2 tests (categorical variables) and Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests (continuous variables).