New ‘PBM Column’ Examines Viscoelastic Testing in Patient Blood Management

AABB’s Transfusion Safety and Patient Blood Management (TS/PBM) Subsection recently released the latest article in its “PBM Column” series, “Viscoelastic Testing in Patient Blood Management: Friend or Foe?”

In the column, Mark T. Friedman, DO, from NYU Langone Health and NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, provides an overview of viscoelastic testing (VET) and its use in assessing hemostasis and guiding transfusion decisions. He outlines how VETs differ from conventional coagulation tests, reviews their application in various clinical settings and discusses the evidence supporting their role in patient blood management.

Friedman also highlights both the potential advantages and ongoing challenges of VET use, including cost, training requirements and lack of standardization.

Additional PBM resources are available in AABB’s PBM Toolkit.