Use of Thromboelastography 6s in Trauma: An Integrative Review for Anesthesia Providers

Trauma-induced coagulopathy is a major cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in adult trauma patients. Thromboelastography (TEG) has been shown to reduce blood product waste, morbidity, and mortality when used to guide trauma resuscitation. The TEG 6s is a new cartridge-based device that shifts the utility of TEG to the point-of-care. The purpose of this integrative review is to synthesize the current evidence regarding the use of the TEG 6s device in adult trauma patients with an emphasis on anesthesia. A comprehensive literature search was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, with eight articles meeting the inclusion criteria. These studies demonstrated comparable diagnostic accuracy to the TEG 5000 platform with improved interdevice reliability. Validated reference ranges, early predictors of maximum amplitude, and trauma-specific algorithms support the integration of the TEG 6s device into intraoperative and trauma workflows. The TEG 6s represents a promising tool for anesthesia providers to guide blood product management during the acute resuscitation of trauma patients. Further research should focus on validating standardized algorithms and assessing outcomes related to mortality, blood product usage, and cost.