Abstract:Objective To investigate the associations of thromboelastography (TEG) parameters and platelet indices including platelet count (PLT), platelet distribution width (PDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet large cell ratio (P-LCR) with injury severity in polytrauma patients.Methods We retrospectively analyzed 117 patients with polytrauma admitted to Xianyang Hospital of Yan’an University from January 2021 to December 2023. They were categorized into a mild group (64 cases, ISS < 16 points) and a severe group (53 cases, ISS ≥ 16 points). Additionally, 40 healthy individuals undergoing routine examinations during the same period were selected as the control group. TEG parameters [reaction time (R value), kinetics time (K value), horizontal angle (α angle), and maximum amplitude (MA value) ] and platelet indices (PLT, PDW, MPV, P-LCR) were compared across the three groups. Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess the relationships between TEG parameters and the levels of PLT, PDW, MPV, and P-LCR with the severity of polytrauma. Patients were classified into survival and death groups based on clinical outcomes, and the two groups were compared in terms of their TEG parameters. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive performance of these parameters for patient prognosis.Results The mild group exhibited higher R and K values than the control group (P < 0.05), while the α angle and MA value were lower in the mild group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The severe group demonstrated higher R and K values than both the mild group and the control group (P < 0.05), whereas the α angle and MA value were lower in the severe group than in the other two groups (P < 0.05). The mild group had higher PLT, PDW, MPV and P-LCR than the control group (P < 0.05), and the severe group had even higher PLT, PDW, MPV and P-LCR than both the mild group and the control group (P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the R value (rs = 0.399), K value (rs = 0.544), PDW (rs =0.594), MPV (rs = 0.581), and P-LCR (rs = 0.649) were positively correlated with the severity of polytrauma (P < 0.05), and that the α angle (rs = -0.709), MA value (rs = -0.597), and PLT (rs = -0.597) were negatively correlated with the severity of polytrauma (P < 0.05). The R value and K value were higher in the death group than in the survival group (P < 0.05), while the α angle and MA value were lower in the death group than in the survival group (P < 0.05). The combination of TEG parameters and platelet indices for prognostic assessment of patients with polytrauma demonstrated a sensitivity of 97.1% (95% CI: 0.881, 0.981), a specificity of 96.3% (95% CI: 0.740, 0.955), and an AUC of 0.984 (95% CI: 0.961, 1.000).Conclusion In patients with polytrauma, TEG parameters and levels of PLT, PDW, MPV, and P-LCR correlate with injury severity and may serve as indicators for assessing patient prognosis.