Reference ranges for rotational thromboelastometry in male Sprague Dawley rats

BACKGROUND: A functional coagulation assay was used to investigate the extrinsic pathway of coagulation on citrated whole blood samples from healthy adult male Sprague Dawley rats using the mini cup and pin system. METHODS: Reference values for coagulation parameters from forty-three animals were calculated using data obtained from the ROTEM® delta hemostasis analyzer with the EXTEM test. RESULTS: The following ranges, presented as the 2.5–97.5 percentiles, were established: CT [18–77], CFT [20–80], α [73–86], MCF [53–70], and ML [1–22], along with others. CONCLUSIONS: These reference ranges can be used in future studies in rats to identify clinically significant coagulopathies.