1.
Review of Existing Scoring Systems For Massive Blood Transfusion in Trauma Patients: Where Do We Stand?
El-Menyar A, Mekkodathil A, Abdelrahman H, Latifi R, Galwankar S, Al-Thani H, Rizoli S
Shock (Augusta, Ga.). 2019
Abstract
BACKGROUND Uncontrolled bleeding is the main cause of the potential preventable death in trauma patients. Accordingly, we reviewed all the existing scores for massive transfusion posttraumatic hemorrhage and summarized their characteristics, thus making it easier for the reader to have a global view of these scores - how they were created, their accuracy and to which population they apply. METHODS A narrative review with a systematic search method to retrieve the journal articles on the predictive scores or models for massive transfusion was carried out. A literature search using PubMed, SCOPUS and Google scholar was performed using relevant keywords in different combinations. The keywords used were "massive transfusion", "score", "model", "trauma" and "hemorrhage" in different combinations. The search was limited for full-text articles published in English language, human species and for the duration from 01 January, 1998 to 30 November, 2018. RESULTS The database search yielded 295 articles. The search was then restricted to the inclusion criteria which retrieved 241 articles. Duplicates were removed and full-texts were assessed for the eligibility to include in the review which resulted in inclusion of 24 articles. These articles identified 24 scoring systems including modified or revised scores. Different models and scores for identifying patients requiring massive transfusion in military and civilian settings have been described. Many of these scorings were complex with difficult calculation, while some were simple and easy to remember. CONCLUSIONS The current prevailing practice that is best described as institutional or provider centered should be supplemented with score based protocol with auditing and monitoring tools to refine it. This review summarizes the current scoring models in predicting the need for MT in civilian and military trauma. Several questions remain open; i.e., do we need to develop new score, merge scores, modify scores or adopt existing score for certain trauma setting?
2.
Efficacy of prehospital administration of tranexamic acid in trauma patients: A meta-analysis of the randomized controlled trials
El-Menyar A, Sathian B, Asim M, Latifi R, Al-Thani H
The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2018;36((6):):1079-1087
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Antifibrinolytic agent tranexamic acid (TXA) has a potential clinical benefit for in-hospital patients with severe bleeding but its effectiveness in pre-hospital settings remains unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate whether pre-hospital administration of TXA compared to placebo improve patients' outcomes? METHODS PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Scopus, clinicaltrials.gov and Google scholar databases were searched for a retrospective, prospective and randomized (RCT) or quasi-RCT studies that assessed the effect of prehospital administration of TXA versus placebo on the outcomes of trauma patients with significant hemorrhage. The main outcomes of interest were 24hour 30-day mortality and in-hospital thromboembolic complications. Two authors independently abstracted the data using a data collection form. Results from different studies were pooled for the analysis, when appropriate. RESULTS Out of 92 references identified through the search, two analytical studies met the inclusion criteria. The effect of TXA on 24-hour mortality had a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 0.49 (95% CI 0.28-0.85), 30-day mortality OR of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.56-1.32), and thromboembolic events OR of 0.74 (95% CI, 0.27-2.07). CONCLUSION Prehospital TXA appears to reduce early mortality in trauma patients. The pooled analysis also shows a trend toward lower 30-day mortality and reduced risk of thromboembolic events. Additional randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to determine the significance of these trends.