ABSTRACT
INTRODUCCIÓN: Los exámenes habituales de coagulación evalúan distintos elementos de la hemostasia en forma par cial, y no traducen las interacciones celulares, lo que es especialmente sensible en pacientes críticos. Las técnicas viscoelásticas, como el tromboelastograma (TEG) muestran el proceso de coagulación completo, y están siendo evaluadas como exámenes de la coagulación global. OBJETIVO: determinar la correlación de los exámenes habituales de coagulación con los valores del TEG, en niños atendidos en una unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI). PACIENTES Y MÉTODO: Se revisaron 238 TEG de pacientes <18 años, con evidencia de alteración de coagulación clínica y/o de laboratorio, hospitalizados en UCI. Se correlacionaron los valores de los parámetros del TEG con cada uno de los valores de los exámenes habituales de coagulación. Los exámenes se obtuvieron según protocolo, utilizando una muestra de sangre de 4,5 ml para TEG con equipo TEG® 5000 Thrombelastograph Hemostasis Sys tem, mediante un transductor electromagnético que permite la medición de la resistencia durante la formación y lisis del coágulo. El recuento de plaquetas se obtuvo utilizando método automatizado o microscopía con contraste de fase; el fibrinógeno, tiempo de protrombina y de tromboplastina parcial activada por métodos nefelométricos. RESULTADOS: 201 TEGs correspondientes a 59 pacientes. Se evidenció una correlación moderada a baja en todos los parámetros medidos. No se encontró co rrelación entre porcentaje de lisis del coágulo, ni firmeza del coágulo. CONCLUSIONES: Existe una baja correlación entre la información entregada por TEG y los exámenes de coagulación habituales, esto sugiere que el TEG aporta información diferente acerca del estado de coagulación de los pacientes críticos evaluados.
INTRODUCTION: Usual coagulation tests partially evaluate different elements of hemostasis, and do not translate cell interactions, which is an especially sensitive issue in critically ill patients. Viscoelastic measurement techniques, such as thromboelastogram (TEG) show the complete coagulation pro cess and are being evaluated as global coagulation tests. OBJECTIVE: To determine the correlation of the usual coagulation tests with the TEG values, in children treated in an intensive care unit (ICU). PATIENTS AND METHOD: We reviewed 238 TEGs of patients under 18 years of age, with evidence of clinical and/or laboratory coagulation alterations, who were hospitalized in the ICU. The TEG para meter values were correlated with each of the usual coagulation test values. The tests were obtained according to the protocol, using a 4.5 ml blood sample for TEG with TEG® 5000 Thrombelastograph Hemostasis System, through an electromagnetic transducer that allows the measurement of resis tance during the clot formation and lysis. Platelet count was obtained using an automated method or phase-contrast microscopy, and fibrinogen levels, prothrombin time, and partial thromboplastin time activated by nephelometric methods. RESULTS: 201 TEGs corresponding to 59 patients were re viewed. A moderate to low correlation was observed in all the measured parameters. No correlation was found between the percentages of clot lysis or clot firmness. CONCLUSIONS: There is a low corre lation between the information provided by TEG and the usual coagulation tests. This suggests that the TEG provides different information about the coagulation status of the evaluated critical patients.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Infant , Child, Preschool , Child , Adolescent , Thrombelastography/methods , Critical Illness , Platelet Count , Reaction Time , Time Factors , Blood Coagulation , Blood Coagulation Tests , Intensive Care Units, Pediatric , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
The traditional transmission pathways of Chagas' disease are vectorial, transfusional, transplacental and organ transplantation. However, oral transmission is gaining importance. The first evidence of oral transmission was reported in Brazil in 1965. Nowadays the oral route is the transmission mode in 50 percent of cases in the Amazon river zone. Oral infection is produced by the ingestion of infected triatomine bugs or their feces, undercooked meat from infested host animals and food contaminated with urine or anal secretion of infected marsupials. Therefore travelers to those zones should be advised about care to be taken with ingested food. In Chile, this new mode of transmission should be considered in public health policies.