Hemorrhage is a major cause of trauma deaths. Coagulopathy exacerbates hemorrhage and is commonly seen during major trauma resuscitation, suggesting that current practice of coagulation factor transfusion is inadequate. Reversal of coagulopathy involves normalization of body temperature, elimination of the causes of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and transfusion with fresh-frozen...

INTRODUCTION The understanding of coagulopathies in trauma has increased interest in thromboelastography (TEG®) and thromboelastometry (ROTEM®), which promptly evaluate the entire clotting process and may guide blood product therapy. Our objective was to review the evidence for their role in diagnosing early coagulopathies, guiding blood transfusion, and reducing mortality in injured patients. ...

OBJECTIVE Clinical predictors for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have been studied in few prospective studies. Although transfusions are common in the intensive care unit, the role of submassive transfusion in non-trauma-related ARDS has not been studied. We describe here the clinical predictors of ARDS risk and mortality including the role of red cell transfusion. DESIGN Observat...

OBJECTIVE To explore the pros and cons of early versus delayed intervention when dealing with severe blunt liver injury with significant hemoperitoneum and hemodynamic instability. METHODS This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed at the Nemazi hospital, Shiraz, Southern Iran, level I trauma Center affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The study population compri...

BACKGROUND Uncontrolled bleeding is a leading cause of death in trauma. Two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials (one in blunt trauma and one in penetrating trauma) were conducted simultaneously to evaluate the efficacy and safety of recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) as adjunctive therapy for control of bleeding in patients with severe blunt or penetrating trauma. METHODS Severe...

Ionized hypocalcemia is a common finding in critically ill patients, but the relationship between ionized hypocalcemia and mortality risk in trauma patients has not been well established. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of initial ionized calcium (iCa) in predicting mortality in the trauma population, and evaluate its superiority over the three other triage tools: base defici...

INTRODUCTION Intra-aortic balloon occlusion (IABO) is useful for proximal vascular control, by clamping the descending aorta, in traumatic haemorrhagic shock. However, there are limited clinical studies regarding its effectiveness. This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of IABO for traumatic haemorrhagic shock. METHODS This retrospective, observational study included trauma patie...

BACKGROUND The current military paradigm for blood transfusion in major trauma favours high plasma:RBC ratios. This study aimed determine whether high plasma:red blood cell (RBC) ratios during massive transfusion for trauma decrease mortality, using meta-analysis of contemporaneous groups matched for injury severity score. METHODS A systemic review of the published literature for massive bloo...

OBJECTIVE To explore the hypothesis that blood transfusion contributes to an immunosuppressed phenotype in severely injured patients. BACKGROUND Despite trauma patients using disproportionately large quantities of blood and blood products, the immunomodulatory effects of blood transfusion in this group are inadequately described. METHODS A total of 112 ventilated polytrauma patients were re...

BACKGROUND Assuring safety and survival of blood in vitro depends on anti-coagulation substances, blood bag characteristics, storage conditions, and transport of blood. Besides, careful selection and screening of donors as well as blood tests can minimize the transmission risk of blood-transmissible pathogens and optimize blood health. The aim of this study was to assay the level of knowledge a...