Massive haemorrhage: an unusual presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus

Summary Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) usually affects young females and its presentation with haemorrhage is unusual. Intracerebral bleed (ICB) has been described in a few case reports, but massive haematuria has not been reported in the literature so far. Here, we present a case of a 56 year-old-lady who presented with expanding lobar bleed and massive haematuria as the first presentation of SLE secondary to vasculitis. Lupus vasculitis usually presents with thrombosis-related complications and although bleeding in this context is rare, it can lead to catastrophic consequences. Hence, vasculitis-related bleeding should be taken under consideration in a challenging situation like ours.

Protocol for a multicentre, randomised, parallel-control, superiority trial comparing administration of clotting factor concentrates with a standard massive haemorrhage protocol in severely bleeding trauma patients: the FiiRST 2 trial (a 2020 EAST multicentre trial)

IntroductionAcute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) in bleeding trauma patients increase in-hospital mortality. Fibrinogen concentrate (FC) and prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) are two purified concentrates of clotting factors that have been used to treat ATC. However, there is a knowledge gap on their use compared with the standard of care, the transfusion of plasma.Methods and analysisThe factors in the initial resuscitation of severe trauma 2 trial is a multicentre, randomised, parallel-control, single-blinded, phase IV superiority trial. The study aims to address efficacy and safety of the early use of FC and PCC compared with a plasma-based resuscitation. Adult trauma patients requiring massive haemorrhage protocol activation on hospital arrival will receive FC 4 g and PCC 2000 IU or plasma 4 U, based on random allocation. The primary outcome is a composite of the cumulative number of all units of red cells, plasma and platelets transfused within 24 hours following admission. Secondary outcomes include measures of efficacy and safety of the intervention. Enrolment of 350 patients will provide an initial power >80% to demonstrate superiority for the primary outcome. After enrolment of 120 patients, a preplanned adaptive interim analysis will be conducted to reassess assumptions, check for early superiority demonstration or reassess the sample size for remainder of the study.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by local and provincial research ethics boards and will be conducted according to the Declaration of Helsinki, Good Clinical Practice guidelines and regulatory requirements. As per the Tri-Council Policy Statement, patient consent will be deferred due to the emergency nature of the interventions. If superiority is established, results will have a major impact on clinical practice by reducing exposure to non-virally inactivated blood products, shortening the time for administration of clotting factors, correct coagulopathy more efficaciously and reduce the reliance on AB plasma.Trial registration numberNCT04534751, pre results.

Rupture of portal vein pseudoaneurysm caused by impinging infected walled off pancreatic necrosis (WOPN): a rare complication

We report a case of walled off pancreatic necrosis in a patient with alcoholic pancreatitis who underwent endoscopic ultrasound-guided multiple pigtail catheter drainage. 10 days later patient presented with massive haemorrhage likely due to erosion of portal vein pseudoaneurysm caused by decubitus of pigtails. Patient required emergent portal venorrhaphy to arrest haemorrhage.

Successful emergency management of a bleeding tracheoinnominate fistula

In this case, we describe a novel approach to achieving temporary haemostasis in acute massive haemorrhage from a bleeding tracheoinnominate fistula. We report the case of a 42-year-old man admitted to hospital after suffering 80% body surface area burns. Thirty days following the percutaneous insertion of a tracheostomy, spontaneous massive haemorrhage occurred via the tracheostomy stoma, the tracheostomy tube and the mouth. After hyperinflation of the tracheostomy cuff which controlled airway contamination, effective tamponade was achieved using a hyperinflated balloon on a Foley catheter that was introduced by direct laryngoscopy into the upper larynx above the tracheotomy stoma. This provided temporary control of the bleeding until definitive management through ligation of the innominate artery via median sternotomy.

Introduction of a standardised protocol, including systematic use of tranexamic acid, for management of severe adult trauma patients in a low-resource setting: the MSF experience from Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Background Bleeding is an important cause of death in trauma victims. In 2010, the CRASH-2 study, a multicentre randomized control trial on the effect of tranexamic acid (TXA) administration to trauma patients with suspected significant bleeding, reported a decreased mortality in randomized patients compared to placebo. Currently, no evidence on the use of TXA in humanitarian, low-resource settings is available. We aimed to measure the hospital outcomes of adult patients with severe traumatic bleeding in the Médecins Sans Frontières Tabarre Trauma Centre in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, before and after the implementation of a Massive Haemorrhage protocol including systematic early administration of TXA. Methods Patients admitted over comparable periods of four months (December2015- March2016 and December2016 - March2017) before and after the implementation of the Massive Haemorrhage protocol were investigated. Included patients had blunt or penetrating trauma, a South Africa Triage Score ≥ 7, were aged 18–65 years and were admitted within 3 h from the traumatic event. Measured outcomes were hospital mortality and early mortality rates, in-hospital time to discharge and time to discharge from intensive care unit. Results One-hundred and sixteen patients met inclusion criteria. Patients treated after the introduction of the Massive Haemorrhage protocol had about 70% less chance of death during hospitalization compared to the group “before” (adjusted odds ratio 0.3, 95%confidence interval 0.1–0.8). They also had a significantly shorter hospital length of stay (p = 0.02). Conclusions Implementing a Massive Haemorrhage protocol including early administration of TXA was associated with the reduced mortality and hospital stay of severe adult blunt and penetrating trauma patients in a context with poor resources and limited availability of blood products.

Intraoperative care

Maintenance of anaesthesia can be achieved by inhaled volatile agents, continuous infusion of intravenous drugs (TIVA), or a combination of both techniques. During anaesthetic maintenance, it is important to ensure normovolaemia, taking into account pre-existing deficits and ongoing losses during surgery. In certain cases, special considerations regarding intraoperative blood glucose control should be taken (e.g. neonates). In specific situations, blood transfusion of red cells or other blood components may be necessary. Anaesthetists must be prepared to manage intraoperative problems such as hypoxia, airway obstruction, laryngospasm, bronchospasm, hypotension, massive haemorrhage, dysrhythmias, anaphylaxis, hypothermia, hyperthermia, and malignant hyperthermia. This chapter provides a simple and focused approach to dealing with these issues.