The discriminative ability of ROTEM for Delayed Cerebral Ischemia and Poor Outcome following Subarachnoid Haemorrhage

IntroductionAneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) and delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) have been associated with hypercoagulability as detected by viscoelastic testing. In this study, we evaluate temporal alterations in rotational thromboelastography (ROTEM-) coagulation profiles and the discriminative ability of ROTEM-parameters for DCI and poor clinical outcome following aSAH. Materials and MethodsROTEM-parameters were measured on days 0, 3-5 and 9-11 after aSAH and compared between patients with and without DCI, radiological DCI and 6-months poor clinical outcome (modified Rankin Scale 4-6). ROC-curve analyses were used to calculate areas-under-the-curve (AUC) and to determine optimal cut-off values with a sensitivity of >90% and highest possible specificity for DCI and radiological DCI. For poor outcome, a specificity >90% with highest possible sensitivity was used. ResultsOf 160 aSAH patients, 31 (19%) had DCI, 16 (10%) radiological DCI and 68 (44%) had poor outcome at six months. DCI, radiological DCI and poor clinical outcome were associated with hypercoagulability. The ROTEM-parameter with the best discriminative ability for radiological DCI was INTEM CT (AUC: 0.75), with optimal cut-off value <153 seconds (sensitivity 94%, specificity 59%). For poor outcome, this was FIBTEM A10, (AUC: 0.85), with optimal cut-off value >27 mm (specificity 94%, sensitivity 49%). ConclusionsHypercoagulability, as detected by ROTEM-parameters, is an excellent marker of poor clinical outcome after aSAH and might be useful for stratifying patients for inclusion in future trials on therapeutic interventions. Conversely, the absence of hypercoagulability on ROTEM may be used to identify patients at low risk of DCI for early hospital discharge.