Table 11.
Conclusions of the previously published reviews.
| First Author (VET Devices) | Type of the Review | Aim of the Review | Number and Type of Studies Included | Conclusions of the Authors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Görlinger et al. [69] (ROTEM, TEG and Quantra) |
Narrative review | Review of coagulation abnormalities and inflammatory response associated with COVID-19, as well as highlight of what we still do not know about COVID-19 associated coagulopathy | 8 studies (5 prospective, 3 retrospective) | VETs can detect the presence of hypercoagulability in critically ill COVID-19 patients, but further studies are needed to define the role of viscoelastometric testing in the management of patients VETs can be used to assess fibrinogen levels of COVID-19 patients receiving direct thrombin inhibitors (such as argatroban and bivalirudin) through functional fibrinogen measurement |
| Tsantes et al. [70] (ROTEM, TEG and Quantra) |
Narrative review | Evaluation of the usefulness of VETs in clinical practice to guide anticoagulant treatments or predict prognosis | 13 studies (8 prospective, 5 retrospective) | VETs can detect the presence of hypercoagulability in critically ill COVID-19 patients, but further studies are needed to establish reference ranges for each viscoelastic test, to define the common cut-off values of hypo- and hypercoagulability or threshold values to predict prognosis, or to guide anticoagulant, antiplatelet or fibrinolytic therapy |
| Hartmann et al. [71] (TEG) |
Systematic review | Evaluation of the usefulness of TEG in clinical practice to identify and manage hypercoagulation associated with COVID-19 | 15 studies (5 prospective, 9 retrospective and one case report) | TEG can detect a hypercoagulable state in patients with COVID-19, and provides differential diagnostic insights alongside the ability to risk-stratify patients at elevated risk for complications such as VTE or kidney failure Further studies are needed to elucidate the optimal use of TEG to maximize patient benefit |
| Słomka et al. [72] (ROTEM and TEG) |
Systematic review | Evaluation of the performance of TEG and TEM in the assessment of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis in patients with COVID-19 | 10 studies (2 prospective, 8 retrospective) | VETs can detect a hypercoagulable state and fibrinolysis shutdown in COVID-19 patients, and might be used to identify patients with high prothrombotic risk for whom an antithrombotic therapy would be benefic |