AUTHOR=Rosati Tommaso , Jandrey Karl E. , Stern Joshua A. , Nguyen Nghi , Li Ronald H. L. 

TITLE=Evaluation of clopidogrel response in healthy cats using a novel viscoelastic test and thromboelastography

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1371781

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2024.1371781

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=Cats with cardiomyopathy face an increased risk of arterial thromboembolism (ATE). Although clopidogrel is frequently utilized to mitigate this risk, feline responses to this therapy exhibit variability. This study evaluated 2 viscoelastic devices, thromboelastography (TEG) and Viscoelastic Coagulation Monitor (VCM), for monitoring clopidogrel in cats in comparison to light transmission aggregometry (LTA).28 healthy cats received clopidogrel for 7 days. Blood was collected at baseline and after treatment for analysis by TEG, VCM, and LTA.On LTA, maximum amplitude, slope, and area under the curve (AUC) significantly decreased after treatment (p<0.0001). On VCM, maximum clot firmness (MCF) significantly increased after treatment (p=0.002). On TEG, R-time significantly prolonged (p=0.024), while K and alpha angle significantly changed (p=0.0002 and p=0.0014, respectively). There was a moderate negative correlation between TEG R-time and LTA AUC (r=-0.39, p=0.042). Eight cats were identified as non-responders to clopidogrel. Of the 8 non-responders, 6 (75%) had shortened R time after treatment. VCM appeared to be less discriminatory in identifying non-responders.LTA remained the gold standard of monitoring clopidogrel treatment in cats. Unexpected changes on VCM and TEG were likely related to high interindividual and assay variability and increased