Establishment of a reference interval for a novel viscoelastic coagulometer and comparison with thromboelastography in healthy cats.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Viscoelastic analysis provides information on the dynamics and strength of clot formation as well as clot stability. A novel point-of-care viscoelastic test (Viscoelastic Coagulation Monitor Vet, VCM Vet) could be more cost-effective, simpler to use, and more portable than thromboelastography (TEG). OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this study was to establish a feline reference interval (RI) for the VCM Vet. A secondary aim was to compare VCM Vet analysis with TEG in healthy cats. METHODS: Fifty-six healthy cats were enrolled in this study. Linear regression was completed to determine whether age and CBC parameters were associated with the VCM Vet parameters and if TEG parameters were correlated with VCM Vet data. Statistical significance was set at P&#xa0;<&#xa0;.05. RESULTS: Fifty-three VCM Vet tracings were used to determine RIs for healthy cats. The determined RIs were: clot time (CT) 104-438&#xa0;seconds; clot formation time (CFT) 104.5-488&#xa0;seconds; alpha angle (AA) 30.5&#xb0;-70&#xb0;; a10 13.8-32.7&#xa0;VCM units; a20 19.2-40.1&#xa0;VCM units; maximum clot formation (MCF) 22.5-44.8&#xa0;VCM units; Lysis Index 30 (Li30) 92.9%-100.9%; and Lysis Index 45 (Li45) 92%-100%. Linear regression identified a strong positive correlation between the CT and R-time measured using the&#xa0;VCM Vet and TEG methods, respectively; no other parameters were correlated. CONCLUSIONS: The use of VCM Vet is feasible in cats, and we determined the first described feline RIs for this test. In general, the VCM Vet data did not correlate with TEG in healthy cats.