scholarly journals Prehospital tranexamic acid shortens the interval to administration by half in Major Trauma Networks: a service evaluation

2019 ◽  
pp. emermed-2018-208118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max E R Marsden ◽  
Andrea Rossetto ◽  
Charles A B Duffield ◽  
Thomas G D Woolley ◽  
William P Buxton ◽  
...  

IntroductionTranexamic acid (TXA) reduces bleeding and mortality. Recent trials have demonstrated improved survival with shorter intervals to TXA administration. The aims of this service evaluation were to assess the interval from injury to TXA administration and describe the characteristics of patients who received TXA pre-hospital and in-hospital.MethodsWe reviewed Trauma and Audit Research Network records and local trauma registries to identify patients of any age that received TXA at all London Major Trauma Centres and Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, during 2017. We used the 2016 NICE Guidelines (NG39) which state that TXA should be given within 3 hours of injury.ResultsWe identified 1018 patients who received TXA, of whom 661 (65%) had sufficient data to assess the time from injury to TXA administration. The median interval was 74 min (IQR: 47–116). 92% of patients received TXA within 3 hours from injury, and 59% within 1 hour. Half of the patients (54%) received prehospital TXA. The median time to TXA administration when given prehospital was 51 min (IQR: 39–72), and 112 min (IQR: 84–160) if given in-hospital (p<0.001). In-hospital TXA patients had less haemodynamic derangement and lower base deficit on admission compared with patients given prehospital TXA.ConclusionPrehospital administration of TXA is associated with a shorter interval from injury to drug delivery. Identifying a proportion of patients at risk of haemorrhage remains a challenge. However, further reinforcement is needed to empower pre-hospital clinicians to administer TXA to trauma patients without overt signs of shock.

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-226
Author(s):  
Jan Robert Dixon ◽  
Fiona Lecky ◽  
Omar Bouamra ◽  
Paul Dixon ◽  
Faye Wilson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Trauma places a significant burden on healthcare services, and its management impacts greatly on the injured patient. The demographic of major trauma is changing as the population ages, increasingly unveiling gaps in processes of managing older patients. Key to improving patient care is the ability to characterise current patient distribution. Objectives There is no contemporary evidence available to characterise how age impacts on trauma patient distribution at a national level. Through an analysis of the Trauma Audit Research Network (TARN) database, we describe the nature of Major Trauma in England since the configuration of regional trauma networks, with focus on injury distribution, ultimate treating institution and any transfer in-between. Methods The TARN database was analysed for all patients presenting from April 2012 to the end of October 2017 in NHS England. Results About 307,307 patients were included, of which 63.8% presented directly to a non-specialist hospital (trauma unit (TU)). Fall from standing height in older patients, presenting and largely remaining in TUs, dominates the English trauma caseload. Contrary to perception, major trauma patients currently are being cared for in both specialist (major trauma centres (MTCs)) and non-specialist (TU) hospitals. Paediatric trauma accounts for &lt;5% of trauma cases and is focussed on paediatric MTCs. Conclusions Within adult major trauma patients in England, mechanism of injury is dominated by low level falls, particularly in older people. These patients are predominately cared for in TUs. This work illustrates the reality of current care pathways for major trauma patients in England in the recently configured regional trauma networks.


2018 ◽  
pp. emermed-2018-207693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J Coats ◽  
Marisol Fragoso-Iñiguez ◽  
Ian Roberts

ObjectiveTo describe the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) in trauma care in England and Wales since the Clinical Randomization of an Antifibrinolytic in Significant Hemorrhage (CRASH-2) trial results were published in 2010.MethodsA national longitudinal and cross-sectional study using data collected through the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN), the clinical audit of major trauma care for England and Wales. All patients in the TARN database injured in England and Wales were included apart from those with an isolated traumatic brain injury, with a primary outcome of the proportion of patients given TXA and the secondary outcome of time to treatment.ResultsAmong 228 250 patients, the proportion of trauma patients treated with TXA increased from near zero in 2010 to 10% (4593) in 2016. In 2016, most patients (82%) who received TXA did so within 3 hours of injury, however, only 30% of patients received TXA within an hour of injury. Most (80%) of the patients who had an early blood transfusion were given TXA. Patients treated with TXA by an ambulance paramedic received treatment at a median of 49 min (IQR 33–72) compared with 111 min (IQR 77–162) for patients treated in hospital.ConclusionsThere is a low proportion of patients treated with TXA across the range of injury severity and the range of physiological indicators of severity of bleeding. Most patients receive treatment within the existing target of 3 hours from injury, however there remains the potential to further improve major trauma outcomes by the earlier treatment of a wider patient group.


Author(s):  
Francois-Xavier Ageron ◽  
Timothy J. Coats ◽  
Vincent Darioli ◽  
Ian Roberts

Abstract Background Tranexamic acid reduces surgical blood loss and reduces deaths from bleeding in trauma patients. Tranexamic acid must be given urgently, preferably by paramedics at the scene of the injury or in the ambulance. We developed a simple score (Bleeding Audit Triage Trauma score) to predict death from bleeding. Methods We conducted an external validation of the BATT score using data from the UK Trauma Audit Research Network (TARN) from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2018. We evaluated the impact of tranexamic acid treatment thresholds in trauma patients. Results We included 104,862 trauma patients with an injury severity score of 9 or above. Tranexamic acid was administered to 9915 (9%) patients. Of these 5185 (52%) received prehospital tranexamic acid. The BATT score had good accuracy (Brier score = 6%) and good discrimination (C-statistic 0.90; 95% CI 0.89–0.91). Calibration in the large showed no substantial difference between predicted and observed death due to bleeding (1.15% versus 1.16%, P = 0.81). Pre-hospital tranexamic acid treatment of trauma patients with a BATT score of 2 or more would avoid 210 bleeding deaths by treating 61,598 patients instead of avoiding 55 deaths by treating 9915 as currently. Conclusion The BATT score identifies trauma patient at risk of significant haemorrhage. A score of 2 or more would be an appropriate threshold for pre-hospital tranexamic acid treatment.


Trauma ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 146040862098226
Author(s):  
Will Kieffer ◽  
Daniel Michalik ◽  
Jason Bernard ◽  
Omar Bouamra ◽  
Benedict Rogers

Introduction Trauma is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, but little is known of the temporal variation in major trauma across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Proper workforce and infrastructure planning requires identification of the caseload burden and its temporal variation. Materials and Methods The Trauma Audit Research Network (TARN) database for admissions attending Major Trauma Centres (MTCs) between 1st April 2011 and 31st March 2018 was analysed. TARN records data on all trauma patients admitted to hospital who are alive at the time of admission to hospital. Major trauma was classified as an Injury Severity Score (ISS) >15. Results A total of 158,440 cases were analysed. Case ascertainment was over 95% for 2013 onwards. There was a statistically significant variation in caseload by year (p < 0.0001), times of admissions (p < 0.0001), caseload admitted during weekends vs weekdays, 53% vs 47% (p < 0.0001), caseload by season with most patients admitted during summer (p < 0.0001). The ISS varied by time of admission with most patients admitted between 1800 and 0559 (p < 0.0001), weekend vs weekday with more severely injured patients admitted during the weekend (p < 0.0001) and by season p < 0.0001). Discussion and Conclusion: There is a significant national temporal variation in major trauma workload. The reasons are complex and there are multiple theories and confounding factors to explain it. This is the largest dataset for hospitals submitting to TARN which can help guide workforce and resource allocation to further improve trauma outcomes.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hudson ◽  
Adrian Boyle ◽  
Stephanie Wiltshire ◽  
Lisa McGerty ◽  
Sara Upponi

Introduction. Whole body CT is being used increasingly in the primary survey of major trauma patients. We evaluated whether omitting plain films of the chest and pelvis in the primary survey was safe. We compared the probability of survival of patients and time to CT who had plain X-rays to those who did not.Method. We performed a database study on major trauma patients admitted between 2008 and 2010 using data from Trauma, Audit and Research Network (TARN) and our PACS system. We included adult major trauma patients who has an ISS of greater than 15 and underwent whole body CT.Results. 245 patients were included in the study. 44 (17.9%) did not undergo plain films. The median time to whole body CT from the time of admission was longer (47 minutes) in patients having plain films, than those who did not have plain films performed (30 minutes),P<0.005. Mortality was increased in the group who received plain films, 9.5% compared to 4.5%, but this was not statistically significant (P=0.77).Conclusion. We conclude that plain films may be safely omitted during the primary survey of selected major trauma patients.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher David Roche

IntroductionDespite advances in trauma care, missed injury remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in trauma worldwide. In England, few have published their missed injury rates and there are no recent data for London. In 2010 London trauma networks were restructured and the impact on missed injury rates is not known. This study aimed to determine the incidence of missed orthopaedic injury for adult trauma patients at St George’s Hospital, London, and to analyse missed injuries and comment on risk factors.MethodTrauma patients were recorded prospectively at the daily trauma meeting from July to September 2012. The researcher attended clinical activities and reviewed the patient notes and radiology reports daily whilst each patient was an inpatient until discharge. Missed injuries were defined as fractures or dislocations discovered more than 12 h after arrival in the emergency department. The notes for missed injury patients were reviewed again at six months. Missed injury details were recorded/analysed.ResultsThree hundred and forty three adult trauma patients were referred to trauma and orthopaedics in the three-month study period; 5 (1.5%) had a missed injury and 148 (43.1%) had an ISS&gt;15. All missed injuries occurred in these major trauma patients, giving an incidence of 5/148 (3.4%). Four were extremity injuries and one was cervical. All missed injury patients had a GCS of 15/15, were admitted outside normal working hours, were direct admissions and had whole-body CT.ConclusionsAt 3.4% our missed injury incidence is comparable to those published from similar major trauma centres. This provides recent London data following the restructuring of trauma networks.


2013 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-19
Author(s):  
D Potter ◽  
A Kehoe ◽  
JE Smith

AbstractThe identification of major trauma patients before arrival in hospital allows the activation of an appropriate trauma response. The Wessex triage tool (WTT) uses a combination of anatomical injury assessment and physiological criteria to identify patients with major trauma suitable for triage direct to a major trauma centre (MTC), and has been adopted by the South-West Peninsula Trauma Network (PTN). A retrospective database review, using the Trauma Audit Research Network (TARN) database, was undertaken to identify a population of patients presenting to Derriford Hospital with an injury severity score (ISS) > 15. The WTT was then applied to this population to identify the sensitivity of the tool. The sensitivity of the WTT at identifying patients with an ISS>15 was 53%. One of the reasons for this finding was that elderly patients who are defined as having major trauma due to the nature of their injuries, but who did not have a mechanism to suggest they had sustained major trauma (such as a fall from standing height), were not identified by these triage tools. The implications of this are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-247
Author(s):  
Emily Frostick ◽  
Christopher Johnson

The system of trauma care has been revolutionised over the last decade with the introduction of major trauma networks across the United Kingdom and the development of subspecialist national training in pre-hospital emergency medicine. Pre-hospital care providers feed trauma patients into trauma units or major trauma centres depending upon the severity of their injuries and their stability for a potentially longer primary transfer to access specialist major trauma services. Trauma services are continually adapting and improving with the introduction of more advanced techniques into the pre-hospital arena are on the horizon, enabling trauma patients to receive more specialised treatment from medical professionals earlier after injury; this article will discuss some of the recent developments within pre-hospital emergency medicine, in-hospital trauma care and on into the intensive care unit, and how this has led to improved outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois-Xavier Ageron ◽  
Timothy J Coats ◽  
Vincent Darioli ◽  
Ian Roberts

Abstract Background: Tranexamic acid reduces surgical blood loss and reduces deaths from bleeding in trauma patients. Tranexamic acid must be given urgently, preferably by paramedics at the scene of the injury or in the ambulance. We developed a simple score (Bleeding Audit Triage Trauma score) to predict death from bleeding.Methods: We conducted an external validation of the BATT score using data from the UK Trauma Audit Research Network (TARN) from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2018. We evaluated the impact of tranexamic acid treatment thresholds in trauma patients.ResultsWe included 104,862 trauma patients with an injury severity score of 9 or above. Tranexamic acid was administered to 9,915 (9%) patients. Of these 5,185 (52%) received prehospital tranexamic acid. The BATT score had good accuracy (Brier score=6%) and good discrimination (C-statistic 0.90; 95% CI 0.89-0.91). Calibration in the large showed no substantial difference between predicted and observed death due to bleeding (1.15% versus 1.16%; P=0.81). Pre-hospital tranexamic acid treatment of trauma patients with a BATT score of 2 or more would avoid 210 bleeding deaths by treating 61,598 patients instead of avoiding 55 deaths by treating 9,915 as currently. ConclusionThe BATT score identifies trauma patient at risk of significant haemorrhage. A score of 2 or more would be an appropriate threshold for pre-hospital tranexamic acid treatment.


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