The IDIBAPS Hemotherapy-Hemostasis research group, led by Maribel Díaz-Ricart, a doctor specialising in haemostasis and erythropathology, has won First Prize in the López-Borrasca awards for basic or clinical research in the field of thrombosis and haemostasis. The prize was awarded at the recent congress of the Spanish Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (SETH), held in Barcelona in early-October 2022.
The winning project, entitled “Alterations of haemostasis in patients on extracorporeal life support. Evaluation of a new rapid diagnostic method with potential for ex vivo therapeutic guidance”, is the result of cooperation between the group – in whose work Ana Belén Moreno and Marc Pino played a key role – the Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery – led by Elena Sandoval – and the Intensive Care Department, where Pedro Castro was the driving force.
Short-term extracorporeal cardiopulmonary life support (ECLS) techniques, such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), are invasive procedures in which a veno-venous or veno-arterial connection is made to provide respiratory or haemodynamic support, respectively. Haemorrhage is a highly prevalent complication associated with ECLS, in which acquired von Willebrand disease is the main underlying defect in episodes of severe sepsis. The main objective of the project is to evaluate haemostasis alterations in patients on ECLS. To this end, various methodologies are used, including the newest, the Total Thrombus-Formation Analysis System (T-TAS®). T-TAS is an automated system based on a microchip with a capillary camera for quantitative analysis of thrombus formation under rheological conditions. The system is capable of quickly making a global evaluation of the defects of haemostasis (primary and coagulation), even in thrombocytopenic patients. The method will also make it possible to determine the therapeutic effect of different strategies aimed at improving haemostasis.
