A new clinical study into managing high-risk bleeding has demonstrated the effectiveness of the Quantra Haemostasis Analyser, Stago UK’s novel point-of-care solution. This is the first time that Quantra has featured in an interventional study.
The published paper looks at the performance of two algorithms, one based on standard laboratory testing and the other on POC viscoelastic testing (VET).
In a boost for VET in cardiac surgery, findings showed that a Quantra-guided haemostatic algorithm ‘significantly reduced transfusion of RBCs, FFP, and platelets, and decreased incidence of major bleeding compared with a standard laboratory testing-guided haemostatic algorithm’. The ‘before and after study’ involved cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) patients at high bleeding risk.
The authors selected the Quantra because of the global coagulation information it provides as well as information on platelet function. The Quantra is the only VET system able to directly measure platelet contribution to clot formation with a specific parameter, the platelet contribution to clot stiffness (PCS). This has already been shown to be independently associated with platelet count and ADP (adenosine diphosphate)-dependent platelet function.
Haseena Halai, UK Business Development Manager, Stago POC Solutions, explained: “Earlier studies have shown how well Quantra corelates to lab-based testing.This new study takes this further by comparing the effectiveness of lab and POC algorithms with each other. It shows the benefit of incorporating viscoelastic haemostatic assays (VHA) and, specifically, the availability of the Quantra’s unique PCS parameter and bleeding management algorithm to guide transfusion decisions.”
She continues: “Significantly, the study found that major bleeding was reduced, improving patient outcomes and reducing the cost of unnecessary transfusions and delayed treatment. Further, the Quantra provided such a rapid assessment of global coagulation that it was possible to use the data to determine more accurately whether to transfuse or not.”
Diagnostica Stago only recently introduced its POC Solutions range, of which Quantra was the first. It is based on VET technology which uses whole blood to rapidly identify coagulopathic bleeding. There are six parameters on the Quantra’s QPlus diagnostic panel - clot times with and without heparinase (CT and CTH), clot stiffness (CS) and fibrinogen contribution to clot stiffness (FCS). Two unique parameters are then automatically calculated: clot time ratio (CTR), and platelet contribution to clot stiffness (PCS). Unlike some other systems, clot stiffness parameters can be measured while the patients are under full heparinisation.
- Zlotnik D, Abdallah GA, Lang E, et al. Assessment of a Quantra-Guided Hemostatic Algorithm in High-Bleeding-Risk Cardiac Surgery. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2023;37(5):724-731.