Tranexamic acid use in severely injured patients, is it always appropriate?

Recently, it has been suggested that tranexamic acid should be administered only in those patients with hyperfibrinolysis determined using viscoelastic assays, as severely injured patients may present with fibrinolytic shutdown. However the last European guidelines on management of major bleeding and coagulopathy following trauma endorse the use of tranexamic acid to the trauma patient who is bleeding or at risk of significant hemorrhage as soon as possible without waiting for viscoelastic results. We present a severely blunt trauma patient treated with on-scene administration of tranexamic acid that developed immediate pulmonary embolism.

Tranexamic acid use in severely injured patients, is it always appropriate?

Recently, it has been suggested that tranexamic acid should be administered only in those patients with hyperfibrinolysis determined using viscoelastic assays, as severely injured patients may present with fibrinolytic shutdown. However the last European guidelines on management of major bleeding and coagulopathy following trauma endorse the use of tranexamic acid to the trauma patient who is bleeding or at risk of significant hemorrhage as soon as possible without waiting for viscoelastic results. We present a severely blunt trauma patient treated with on-scene administration of tranexamic acid that developed immediate pulmonary embolism.

Trigeminal nerve palsy and Horner's syndrome following epidural analgesia for labor: a subdural block?

Horner's syndrome is a rare complication of epidural analgesia for labor. Much more uncommon is trigeminal nerve palsy. Both complications may be attributed to a subdural localization of the catheter, as we demonstrated clinically by a repeat injection and patchy sympathetic block and with the typical image on epidurography.

[Application of the laryngeal mask in pediatric anesthesiology].

To analyze problems with inserting, maintaining and removing a laryngeal mask in children, as well as to assess the possible involvement of certain factors (experience with the laryngeal mask, type of anesthesia, duration of surgery, type of surgery, obesity, etc.) in favoring the development of complications. One hundred eighty-nine children undergoing a variety of surgical procedures under general anesthesia were studied; patients with full stomachs and/or a history of hiatus hernia were excluded.