Abstract
Background/Objectives: Conventional Coagulation Tests (CCTs) fail to accurately reflect Preeclampsia's (PE's) coagulation status, disease progression, and hemostatic alterations. They do not differentiate between the normal hypercoagulability of healthy pregnancies and the pathological hypercoagulability associated with PE. Rotational Thromboelastometry (ROTEM) analyzes clot dynamics from initiation through amplification and propagation to termination and fibrinolysis. However, their application in PE, particularly in neonates born to women with PE, is limited. We aimed to identify the hemostatic alterations in pregnant women with PE using ROTEMs that remain undetected by CCTs and to assess PE's impact on neonatal hemostasis at birth. Methods: This was a single-center observational study (March 2022-March 2024) including 31 women with PE (34 newborns) and 45 pregnancies without PE (47 newborns). Maternal blood was collected intrapartum before placental delivery. Neonatal arterial samples were obtained within the first hour of life before vitamin K administration. ROTEM (Intrinsic (INTEM), Extrinsic (EXTEM), Fibrinogen (FIBTEM), Aprotinin (APTEM)), and CCTs were performed. Subgroup analyses considered PE severity and onset. ROC analyses examined discrimination for persistent maternal thrombocytopenia within 7 days of delivery and association with maternal platelet transfusion. Results: In preeclamptic women, the INTEM and FIBTEM assays were more affected, with higher Actual Clot Firmness (ACF) (p = 0.03, p = 0.04, respectively) and a higher Clot Formation Rate (CFR) (p = 0.03, p = 0.02, respectively). Hyperfibrinolysis was present (CT-APTEM < CT-EXTEM, MCF-APTEM > MCF-EXTEM). Clot Formation Time CFT-EXTEM was an indicator of maternal platelet transfusion (AUC = 0.81). Across EXTEM, INTEM, and APTEM, A10 (Amplitude at 10 min) and CFT showed good discrimination capability for maternal persistent thrombocytopenia within 7 days of delivery (AUCs 0.82-0.95). Neonates of women with PE presented lower ACF across all assays (INTEM p = 0.003; EXTEM p = 0.001; FIBTEM p = 0.01; APTEM p < 0.001), consistent across severity/onset subgroups. Conclusions: In this cohort, ROTEM identified maternal hypercoagulability with hyperfibrinolysis and neonatal hypocoagulability during the first hour of life. Several alterations were not reflected in CCTs. Further prospective studies should evaluate the role and clinical utility of combining ROTEM with CCTs for hemostatic monitoring in women with PE and their neonates.