Thromboelastography and recombinant factor VIIa-hemophilia and beyond.

Thromboelastography (TEG), which records the continuous profiles of whole blood (WB) coagulation, can be used to evaluate the effects of hemostatic agents, such as recombinant factor VII (rFVIIa). Our group has developed a revised TEG model, involving activation with minute amounts of tissue factor and subsequent signal processing, and has used this method to evaluate the effects of rFVIIa both in patients with hemophilia and in those receiving vitamin K antagonist (VKA) thromboprophylaxis. We review the early results of our investigations, which suggest that, in clinical situations where rFVIIa has shown benefit, the changes in the profiles obtained by TEG recording appear to correlate with the clinical outcome.