Thrombelastography for the monitoring of lipopolysaccharide induced activation of coagulation in neonatal cord and adult blood

The haemostatic system of neonates is quantitatively deficient at birth, and many coagulation variables constantly change over the first months of life. During Gram-negative sepsis, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and induces complex responses of immune system and haemostasis. Method: In the present study we compared LPS-induced activation of coagulation in whole blood (WB) samples from healthy adult volunteers and neonatal cord blood. Samples were incubated with LPS or control vehicle (normal saline) for various incubation periods (0–2-3–4 hrs), and coagulation was measured by rota…