Features of thromboelastogram in populations exposed to or transferring from high altitude

Zhu Huang; Dong-Xin Huang; Yan-Yan Wang; Li-Juan Jiang; Yong-Hua Wang; Jing Dai; Xia Kang; Yi Wen; Si-Yi He

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25223

Features of thromboelastogram in populations exposed to or transferring from high altitude

Heliyon. 2024 Jan 28;10(3):e25223. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25223. eCollection 2024 Feb 15.

Authors

Zhu Huang^{1

2}, Dong-Xin Huang^{1

2

3}, Yan-Yan Wang^{1

4}, Li-Juan Jiang², Yong-Hua Wang⁵, Jing Dai⁶, Xia Kang¹, Yi Wen^{1

2}, Si-Yi He^{1

7}

Affiliations

¹ Pancreatic Injury and Repair Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, 610000, China.
² Department of General Surgery, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, 610000, China.
³ College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610000, China.
⁴ Department of Clinical Laboratory, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, 610000, China.
⁵ Department of Nursing, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, 610000, China.
⁶ Laboratory of Basic Medicine, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, 610000, China.
⁷ Department of Cardiac Surgery, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, 610000, China.

Abstract

Background: Thromboelastogram (TEG) is an effective indicator that monitors the dynamic changes of blood coagulation in real-time. It still remains controversial about the performance and influence of coagulation at high altitude. The present study intends to describe comprehensively the clinical features of TEG in populations exposed to or transferring from high altitude.

Methods: Two groups were recruited in the present study. Group A included young males who worked at high-altitude (4888 m or 5418 m) areas for some time, while Group B included young males who had recently returned from high-altitude (4888 m or 5418 m) areas. Medical examinations were performed using portable devices. Spearman's test was used to evaluate the correlations between thromboelastogram (TEG) variables and other variables. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the factors affecting various abnormal TEG variables.

Results: A total of 51 adult males were included in the two groups. Significantly increased reaction time (R) and decreased maximum amplitude (MA) were found in group B (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in the comparisons of K and angle between the two groups. Various TEG variables were identified to be correlated with different coagulation and biochemical variables. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that abnormal R was independently associated with direct bilirubin, and abnormal K was independently associated with the platelet count in Group A (P < 0.05). However, none of the factors were independently associated with abnormal TEG variables in Group B.

Conclusion: Populations exposed to or transferring from high altitudes are characterized by different TEG characteristics. Our findings give a comprehensive description of the complex interaction between TEG indexes, coagulation dynamics, and hematological parameters, which can help guide the development of appropriate medical approaches tailored to the unique needs of these populations.

Keywords: Cardiac function; Coagulation; High altitude; Liver function; Thromboelastogram.