Reference intervals for thromboelastometry with the ROTEM delta in cats.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to assess precision of viscoelastic measurements of feline blood using the ROTEM delta analyser and to establish reference intervals. Intra-assay-variability was evaluated by analysing samples of two cats in quadruplicate. Reference intervals were established based on 55 clinically healthy European shorthair cats including different sexes and age groups. Analyses were performed without activation and after activation with different reagents (kaolin, in-tem, ex-tem). For the majority of parameters, coefficient of variation was <10%. The activating reagent containing tissue factor (ex-tem) produced the shortest clotting times (reference interval 44.0-98.7 s) and highest maximum lyses. Reference values of many parameters revealed a wide inter-individual variation. Only sporadically, differences between the individual age groups were found. In conclusion, analysis of feline blood using the ROTEM analyser showed acceptable reproducibility. The established reference intervals may be a useful orientation for measurements of feline blood using the ROTEM delta analyser.