Impact on Blood Product Utilization with Thromboelastography Guided Resuscitation for Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage

Abstract

Background Thromboelastography (TEG) can guide transfusion therapy in trauma and has been associated with decreased transfusion requirements. This population differs from the medical population where the most common bleeding source is gastrointestinal hemorrhage (GIB). The utility of TEG in patients with acute GIB is not well described. We sought to assess whether the use of TEG impacts blood product utilization in patients with medical GIB. Methods A retrospective study looking at all adult patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of GIB to the George Washington University Intensive Care Unit (ICU) between 01/01/2017 to 12/31/2019. The primary intervention was the use of TEG to guide blood product resuscitation in addition to standard of care (TEG arm) versus standard of care alone (non-TEG arm). Results The primary outcome was the total number of blood products utilized. Patients in the TEG arm used more blood products compared to the non-TEG arm (9.10 vs 3.60, p < 0.001). There was no difference in secondary endpoints except for an increased requirement for mechanical ventilation within the TEG arm (26.2% vs 13.4%, p  =  0.018). Conclusions The use of TEG to guide resuscitation in patients with acute GIB may be associated with increased blood product utilization without any clinical benefit to patient-centered outcomes.