Viscoelastometric testing, fibrinogen and transfusion during post-partum haemorrhage

Editor—Many readers will recognize the pleasure of a new pair of glasses (Fig. 1). They are perfectly tailored to our own visual defect, and wearing them gives one a feeling of clarity and brightness that is comparable with opening the curtains after a good night's sleep. In an era of evidence-based medicine, should we question the evidence base for eyeglasses? Might this be unnecessary when there is a palpable association between a specific intervention and an intended outcome such that we are easily convinced of the causal nature of that association? There will certainly be an effect of using viscoelastometric testing on plasma transfusion if practice changes from giving plasma 'blindly' to giving plasma based on the coagulation testing. The real question is whether this change in practice will lead to better outcomes. In this issue of the BritishJournalof Anaesthesia, Collins and colleagues¹² provide new information on monitoring and managing haemostasis in patients with post-partum haemorrhage.

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