Monitoring fibrinolysis in whole blood by viscoelastic instruments: a comparison of ROTEM and ReoRox.

OBJECTIVE: Increased fibrinolysis with the risk of bleeding is a consequence of thrombolytic therapy and can also be seen in clinical situations such as acute trauma. Thrombelastography and thrombelastometry are viscoelastic coagulation instruments that can detect higher degrees of fibrinolysis; hyperfibrinolysis. A newer viscoelastic instrument is the ReoRox, which uses free oscillation rheometry to detect clot formation, strength and fibrinolysis. The ReoRox has a new test for detection of fibrinolysis, called ReoLyse. The aim of this study was to compare ReoRox with its new ReoLyse test with rotational thrombelastometry (ROTEM) in the monitoring of in vitro-induced fibrinolysis. METHODS: Whole blood from 10 healthy volunteers was mixed with tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) to obtain seven different plasma concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 3 and 5 µg/mL). Whole blood samples with the different t-PA plasma concentrations were analyzed with ROTEM EXTEM and FIBTEM tests, ReoRox standard test Fib1 (clot formation/strength) and ReoLyse (fibrinolysis) tests. RESULTS: The fibrinolysis variables with the best dose-response effect were the ReoRox ReoLyse lysis variables and ROTEM EXTEM Time to complete lysis. However, these variables only detected high t-PA levels (> 1 µg/mL). CONCLUSIONS: The new ReoRox ReoLyse test provides more information on fibrinolysis compared to the ReoRox Fib1 program. Neither ReoRox nor ROTEM could detect lower degrees of fibrinolysis. ReoRox is a valuable alternative to ROTEM to study high degrees of fibrinolysis and should be evaluated in clinical situations with increased fibrinolysis and during therapeutic thrombolysis.