Use of Coagulation Point-of-Care Tests in the Management of Anticoagulation and Bleeding in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review.
The Summary
Type of article: Systematic Review.
The Aim: To summarise the literature on this topic specific to paediatric cardiac surgery.
The Methodology: Appears sound and is clearly described.
The Content: This is comprehensive and elements described from the review of the literature are given clinical context. The reader who wants an understanding of the various point-of-care tests, what they specifically help with and their limitations is well served by this review. Rather than be limited only to a description of the literature on specific findings on tests, the clinical impact of use of point-of-care systems in conjunction with a structured way to respond to results is well covered. The reader finishes up the article with an understanding of the tests, what the literature says about strengths and weaknesses and a balanced impression of how these systems can be useful in a clinical setting.
The Limitations: As covered in the review, a formal meta-analysis is impossible because of the heterogeneity of patients and tests studied in the literature. There also just aren’t that many studies and where algorithms are offered up in the literature, they are all pretty different.
Worth the time?
Yes.
Reviewed by Dr Andrew Weatherall
