Objective: To determine whether there is an association between thromboelastography (TEG) data and necropsy evidence of thrombosis in a cohort of critically ill dogs.
Design: Retrospective study (2005-2010).
Setting: University teaching hospital.
Animals: Thirty-nine client-owned critically ill dogs for which TEG was performed within 7 days of complete necropsy.
Interventions: None.
Measurements and main results: Thrombi were found in 26 (67%) dogs. Spayed females (n = 20) were significantly more likely to have thrombosis (P = 0.0127). No significant association was found between presence of thrombosis and any TEG parameter, the calculated coagulation index, results of coagulation testing, type of vascular access, or clinical diagnosis. D-dimers were significantly higher in dogs with thrombosis (P = 0.0207) and a weak positive correlation was found between D-dimer value and number of sites of thrombosis (ρ = 0.18, P = 0.0045). Dogs with WBC > 16 × 10(3) /μL were more likely to have thrombosis compared to others (odds ratio 5.56, 95% confidence interval 1.2-25.7, P = 0.025).
Conclusions: This study found no association between any TEG parameter and the presence of thrombosis on postmortem examination.
Keywords: DIC; TEG; coagulopathy; disseminated intravascular coagulation; hypercoagulable; viscoelastic testing.
© Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society 2016.