Evaluation of a Newly Implemented Critical Thromboelastography (TEG) Value Callback System.

OBJECTIVES: Thromboelastography (TEG) measures whole blood coagulation kinetics in real time and is useful in guiding blood product transfusion. At our institution, providers have immediate remote access to TEG results. However, some critical values are occasionally missed. Our patient blood management program implemented a critical TEG value callback system to improve patient management and blood product utilization. METHODS: This retrospective, observational study assessed the data of trauma and critical care patients preimplementation (n = 20) and postimplementation (n = 100) of the callback system. Provider responses to callbacks and changes in TEG parameters after subsequent testing were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In response to callbacks, 42% provided appropriate management and 42% ordered a repeat TEG vs 28% and 33% in the historical group (P < .0001 and P = .0002, respectively). Following callback, 90% of the TEG parameters in the study group showed an improvement vs 57% in the control group (P = .011). CONCLUSIONS: The increase in appropriate management and the improvement in TEG parameters upon repeat testing in the study group compared to the control group demonstrate the efficacy of the TEG callback system. Further studies are needed to evaluate the callback system effect on patient outcome.

Publication rate of podium presentations from the orthopaedic research society annual meeting.

Annual scientific meetings serve as a forum for dissemination of new research findings. Presentations should be of high scientific quality as they have the potential to impact future research projects and current clinical practice. The publication rate of podium presentations at an annual meeting can be used to assess the quality of the research presented. The purpose of this study was to determine the publication rate of podium presentations at the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) annual meeting. All podium presentations from the 2012 to 2014 annual ORS meetings were identified. Abstracts were categorized into an orthopaedic topic. A PubMed search was performed to determine if an abstract reached publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The publication rate was determined for each year. Of the 1063 podium presentations identified, 640 (60.2%) reached publication in a peer-reviewed journal. No significant differences were observed in the publication rate between the orthopaedic topics (p = 0.3414). The majority (75.9%) of published abstracts reached publication within 2 years of presentation and the average time to publication was 17.0 months. Abstracts were published in 151 different journals with an average impact factor of 4.46. Time to publication varied significantly by journal (p = 0.025). Journal of Orthopaedic Research, Journal of Biomechanics, PLoS ONE, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, and Bone were the most common publication journals. This study provides insight into the quality of podium presentations at the ORS annual meeting. The ORS annual meeting compares favorably to other orthopaedic surgery meetings. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 37:288-292, 2019.