Curr Opin Anaesthesiol
April 2025
Purpose Of Review: The management of noncompressible haemorrhage (NCH) remains a critical challenge in trauma care, with early mortality rates persistently high despite advances in trauma systems. Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) has emerged as a potential intervention to address severe haemorrhage in prehospital and hospital settings. This review examines the role of REBOA in remote damage control resuscitation, focusing on the 'golden hour' and the 'platinum 5 minutes' concepts that underscore the urgency of timely interventions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) has developed clinical practice guidelines for the care of patients with vascular trauma with the aim of assisting physicians in selecting the optimal management strategy.
Methods: The guidelines are based on scientific evidence completed with expert opinion. By summarising and evaluating the best available evidence, recommendations for the evaluation and treatment of patients have been formulated.
Endotheliopathy following trauma is associated with poor outcome, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. This study hypothesized that an increased extracellular vesicle (EV) concentration is associated with endotheliopathy after trauma and that red blood cell (RBC) transfusion could further enhance endotheliopathy. In this post hoc sub study of a multicentre observational trial, 75 trauma patients were stratified into three groups based on injury severity score or shock.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Viscoelastic hemostatic assays such as rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) are used to guide treatment of trauma induced coagulopathy. The authors hypothesized that ROTEM derangements reflect specific coagulation factor deficiencies after trauma.
Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study in six European trauma centers in patients presenting with full trauma team activation.
Background: Trauma patients requiring abdominal operation have considerable morbidity and mortality, yet no specific quality indicators are measured in the trauma systems of the UK. The aims of this study were to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing emergency abdominal operation and key processes of care.
Study Design: A prospective multicenter service evaluation was conducted within all of the major trauma centers in the UK.
Background: The majority of potentially preventable deaths in trauma are due to uncontrolled hemorrhage and occur early after injury. How major bleeding is defined is integral to early identification and treatment of this group of high-risk patients. However, there is no consensus on a definition of major bleeding in trauma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine the characteristics of trauma patients with low levels of fibrinolysis as detected by viscoelastic hemostatic assay (VHA) and explore the underlying mechanisms of this subtype.
Background: Hyperfibrinolysis is a central component of acute traumatic coagulopathy but a group of patients present with low levels of VHA-detected fibrinolysis. There is concern that these patients may be at risk of thrombosis if empirically administered an antifibrinolytic agent.
Uncontrolled haemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable death from injury and is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. The majority of deaths resulting from bleeding occur within the first 3 hours of hospital admission, and the window for meaningful intervention is therefore extremely small. Resuscitative efforts during active bleeding should focus on maintaining haemostatic function with blood product transfusion and early administration of tranexamic acid.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Opin Anaesthesiol
April 2018
Purpose Of Review: The role of antifibrinolytics in trauma haemorrhage and early coagulopathy remains controversial with respect to patient selection, dosage, timing of treatment, and risk of thrombotic complications. This review presents our current understanding of the mechanisms of fibrinolysis in trauma, diagnostic evaluation, and the evidence base for treatment.
Recent Findings: Excessive fibrinolysis following severe injury is a major component of acute traumatic coagulopathy and contributes to the high mortality from trauma haemorrhage.
Background: Platelets play a critical role in hemostasis with aberrant function implicated in trauma-induced coagulopathy. However, the impact of massive transfusion protocols on platelet function during trauma hemorrhage is unknown. The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of platelet transfusion on platelet aggregation and fibrinolytic markers during hemostatic resuscitation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSemin Thromb Hemost
March 2017
Fibrinolysis activation occurs almost universally after severe trauma. Systemic hyperfibrinolysis is a key component of acute traumatic coagulopathy and associated with poor clinical outcomes, although controversy exists over optimal treatment strategies. The mechanistic drivers and dynamics of fibrinolytic activation in response to injury and trauma resuscitation are currently unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Major trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide with hemorrhage accounting for 40% of deaths. Acute traumatic coagulopathy exacerbates bleeding, but controversy remains over the degree to which inhibition of procoagulant pathways (anticoagulation), fibrinogen loss, and fibrinolysis drive the pathologic process. Through a combination of experimental study in a murine model of trauma hemorrhage and human observation, the authors' objective was to determine the predominant pathophysiology of acute traumatic coagulopathy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of Review: Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) is a multifactorial, global failure of the coagulation system to sustain adequate haemostasis after trauma haemorrhage. Damage control resuscitation is associated with improved outcomes although the mechanisms of how it corrects TIC have yet to be fully characterized. Identification of predominant pathophysiological pathways in TIC is required to develop effective treatment algorithms for trauma haemorrhage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUncontrolled bleeding is the most common preventable cause of death for patients with severe injury. Coagulopathy inevitably accompanies severe bleeding, exacerbated by the ongoing blood loss and the treatments administered. There is debate about the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of early traumatic coagulopathy and uncertainty about whether injury induces a unique coagulopathy when compared to other forms of major haemorrhage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The massive-transfusion concept was introduced to recognize the dilutional complications resulting from large volumes of packed red blood cells (PRBCs). Definitions of massive transfusion vary and lack supporting clinical evidence. Damage-control resuscitation regimens of modern trauma care are targeted to the early correction of acute traumatic coagulopathy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Opin Anaesthesiol
April 2009
Purpose Of Review: Trauma-induced coagulopathy results from a complex interplay between shock resuscitation and impaired clotting protease function. A pathophysiological role of platelets in this condition remains as yet undefined. This review examines our current knowledge of platelet function in haemostasis, possible mechanisms for aberrant activity in trauma and the role of platelet transfusions in exsanguinating haemorrhage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Opin Crit Care
December 2007
Purpose Of Review: Acute coagulopathy of trauma has only been described relatively recently. Developing early in the postinjury phase, it is associated with increased transfusion requirements and poor outcomes. This review examines the possible initiators, mechanism and clinical importance of acute coagulopathy.
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