scholarly journals The impact of prehospital tranexamic acid on mortality and transfusion requirements: match-pair analysis from the nationwide German TraumaRegister DGU®

Critical Care ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Imach ◽  
Arasch Wafaisade ◽  
Rolf Lefering ◽  
Andreas Böhmer ◽  
Mark Schieren ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Outcome data about the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) in civilian patients in mature trauma systems are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine how severely injured patients are affected by the widespread prehospital use of TXA in Germany. Methods The international TraumaRegister DGU® was retrospectively analyzed for severely injured patients with risk of bleeding (2015 until 2019) treated with at least one dose of TXA in the prehospital phase (TXA group). These were matched with patients who had not received prehospital TXA (control group), applying propensity score-based matching. Adult patients (≥ 16) admitted to a trauma center in Germany with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥ 9 points were included. Results The matching yielded two comparable cohorts (n = 2275 in each group), and the mean ISS was 32.4 ± 14.7 in TXA group vs. 32.0 ± 14.5 in control group (p = 0.378). Around a third in both groups received one dose of TXA after hospital admission. TXA patients were significantly more transfused (p = 0.022), but needed significantly less packed red blood cells (p ≤ 0.001) and fresh frozen plasma (p = 0.023), when transfused. Massive transfusion rate was significantly lower in the TXA group (5.5% versus 7.2%, p = 0.015). Mortality was similar except for early mortality after 6 h (p = 0.004) and 12 h (p = 0.045). Among non-survivors hemorrhage as leading cause of death was less in the TXA group (3.0% vs. 4.3%, p = 0.021). Thromboembolic events were not significantly different between both groups (TXA 6.1%, control 4.9%, p = 0.080). Conclusion This is the largest civilian study in which the effect of prehospital TXA use in a mature trauma system has been examined. TXA use in severely injured patients was associated with a significantly lower risk of massive transfusion and lower mortality in the early in-hospital treatment period. Due to repetitive administration, a dose-dependent effect of TXA must be discussed.

Author(s):  
Suzan Dijkink ◽  
Erik W. van Zwet ◽  
Pieta Krijnen ◽  
Luke P. H. Leenen ◽  
Frank W. Bloemers ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Twenty years ago, an inclusive trauma system was implemented in the Netherlands. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of structured trauma care on the concentration of severely injured patients over time. Methods All severely injured patients (Injury Severity Score [ISS] ≥ 16) documented in the Dutch Trauma Registry (DTR) in the calendar period 2008–2018 were included for analysis. We compared severely injured patients, with and without severe neurotrauma, directly brought to trauma centers (TC) and non-trauma centers (NTC). The proportion of patients being directly transported to a trauma center was determined, as was the total Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS), and ISS. Results The documented number of severely injured patients increased from 2350 in 2008 to 4694 in 2018. During this period, on average, 70% of these patients were directly admitted to a TC (range 63–74%). Patients without severe neurotrauma had a lower chance of being brought to a TC compared to those with severe neurotrauma. Patients directly presented to a TC were more severely injured, reflected by a higher total AIS and ISS, than those directly transported to a NTC. Conclusion Since the introduction of a well-organized trauma system in the Netherlands, trauma care has become progressively centralized, with more severely injured patients being directly presented to a TC. However, still 30% of these patients is initially brought to a NTC. Future research should focus on improving pre-hospital triage to facilitate swift transfer of the right patient to the right hospital.


Author(s):  
K. Boffard

♦ Treatment of anaemia has changed substantially since the early 1990s♦ Although massive transfusion may be necessary, trauma surgeons have modified their practice to provide aggressive control of haemorrhage, prevent hypothermia and acidosis, optimize haemodynamic management in intensive care units, and rationalize transfusion support in severely injured patients. The result has been an improvement in the outcomes of these patients♦ Given the importance of early intervention in the care of the injured, understanding the physiology and true indications for early massive transfusion in trauma care has the potential to save many lives.


Author(s):  
Klemens Horst ◽  
Philipp Lichte ◽  
Felix Bläsius ◽  
Christian David Weber ◽  
Martin Tonglet ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The modified Trauma-Induced Coagulopathy Clinical Score (mTICCS) presents a new scoring system for the early detection of the need for a massive transfusion (MT). This easily applicable score was validated in a large trauma cohort and proven comparable to more established complex scoring systems. However, the inter-rater reliability of the mTICCS has not yet been investigated. Methods Therefore, a dataset of 15 randomly selected and severely injured patients (ISS ≥ 16) derived from the database of a level I trauma centre (2010–2015) was used. Moreover, 15 severely injured subjects that received MT were chosen from the same databank. A web-based survey was sent to medical professionals working in the field of trauma care asking them to evaluate each patient using the mTICCS. Results In total, 16 raters (9 residents and 7 specialists) completed the survey. Ratings from 15 medical professionals could be evaluated and led to an ICC of 0.7587 (95% Bootstrap confidence interval (BCI) 0.7149–0.8283). A comparison of working experience specific ICC (n = 7 specialists, ICC: 0.7558, BCI: 0.7076–0.8270; n = 8 residents, ICC: 0.7634, BCI: 0.7183–0.8335) showed no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.67). Conclusion In summary, reliability values need to be considered when making clinical decisions based on scoring systems. Due to its easy applicability and its almost perfect inter-rater reliability, even with non-specialists, the mTICCS might therefore be a useful tool to predict the early need for MT in multiple trauma.


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