Normal hemostasis provides for balanced interactions between the blood vessel wall, coagulation proteins, and platelets. After vascular injury, primary hemostasis and secondary hemostasis function in a coordinated fashion to stop bleeding. Standard coagulation tests have been shown in multiple studies to predict bleeding and mortality in neurosurgical patients. Emerging coagulation tests are useful point-of-care assays that guide transfusion therapy and diagnose patients with hyperfibrinolysis. This article provides an overview of hemostasis, a summary of standard coagulation testing and point-of-care tests, and a brief review of coagulation test usefulness in neurosurgery, focusing on studies in patients with traumatic brain injury.
Keywords: Coagulation testing; Fibrinolysis; Hemostasis; Rotational elastometry; Thromboelastography; Traumatic brain injury; Viscoelastic assays.
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