Saturday January 20, 2007
Thromboelastography - TEG

TEG was first introduced about 60 years ago by Hartert . TEG monitors hemostasis as a whole dynamic process and measures the viscoelastic properties of blood.

The strength of a clot is graphically represented over time in a cigar shape figure.

With little practice, just a glance at shape and size of cigar, it provides clue to underlying disease process. It is an underutilized tool in ICU. See picture below for self explanation:Read review on Thromboelastography/thromboelastometry here (pdf file) (ref: Clin. Lab. Haem. 2005, 27, 81–90)