Continuous peripheral nerve blocks for analgesia of ventilated critically ill patients with multiple trauma: a prospective randomized study.

BACKGROUND: Sedation of ventilated critically ill trauma patients requires high doses of opioids and hypnotics. We aimed to compare the consumption of opioids and hypnotics, and patient outcomes using sedation with or without continuous regional analgesia (CRA). METHODS: Multiple trauma-ventilated patients were included. The patients were randomized to receive an intravenous analgesia (control group) or an addition of CRA within 24h of admission. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients group was analyzed. The primary endpoint was the cumulative consumption of sufentanil at 2 days of admission. Secondary endpoints were cumulative and daily consumption of sufentanil and midazolam, duration of mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and safety of CRA management. RESULTS: Seventy six patients were analyzed: 40 (67.5% males) in the control group and 36 (72% males) in the CRA group, respectively. The median [IQR] Injury Severity Score was 30.5 [23.5-38.5] and 26.0 [22.0-41.0]. The consumption of sufentanil at 48h was 725 [465-960] µg/48h versus 670 [510-940] µg/48h (p = 0.16). Daily consumption did not differ between the groups except on day 1 when consumption of sufentanil was 360 [270-480] µg vs. 480 [352-535] µg (p = 0.03). Consumptions of midazolam did not differ between the groups. No difference was noted between the groups according to the secondary endpoints. CONCLUSIONS: CRA does not decrease significantly sufentanil and midazolam consumption within the first 5 days after ICU admission in multiple trauma-ventilated patients. The use of peripheral nerve blocks in heavily sedated and ventilated trauma patients in the ICU seems safe.

What are the specific computed tomography scan criteria that can predict or exclude the need for renal angioembolization after high-grade renal trauma in a conservative management strategy?

BACKGROUND: The indications of renal angioembolization for patients with high-grade renal trauma (HGRT) are based on angiographic criteria to reduce the failure rate of conservative management (CM). There is no consensus to predict or exclude an indication of renal angioembolization with a computed tomography (CT) scan. The aim of this study was to evaluate CT-specific criteria to predict or exclude the need for renal embolization. METHODS: All traumatized patients admitted with renal injury were considered between 2005 and 2009. We included all patients who had an HGRT (classified by American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Organ Injury Scale grade≥3) treated by CM. We collected the demographic, CT, angiographic, management, and outcome data for these patients. CT criteria were retrospectively studied to define their predictive values for renal embolization. RESULTS: Among 101 patients with renal injury, 58 were HGRT, and 53 of them were treated by CM. Ten patients (19%) received renal embolization because of an ongoing renal hemorrhage. There was no significant difference for urologic interventions (2 [20%] vs. 7 [16%]), CM failure rate (1 [10%] vs. 2 [5%]), and during hospital stay between these patients and those who did not received embolization. None of the CT criteria had a negative predictive value for renal embolization to 100%, only the absence of intravascular contrast extravasation associated with a perirenal hematoma rim distance<25 mm excludes an indication for embolization. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with HGRT who had bleeding, a strategy of targeted angiography can be realized safely in using specific CT scan criteria that can predict with high accuracy and exclude the need for embolization, without reducing the success rate of CM.

Early coagulopathy at hospital admission predicts initial or delayed fibrinogen deficit in severe trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Early detection of a fibrinogen deficit in the initial phase of trauma is a determinant for anticipating massive blood loss. Hemostatic impairment should rationally be associated with an overall depletion of clotting factors, leading to early coagulopathy. The main objective of this study was to evaluate whether the severity of coagulopathy at admission could predict an initial and delayed fibrinogen deficit during the initial management of severe trauma patients. METHODS: All severe trauma patients admitted consecutively to our trauma center between January 2006 and December 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. The results of coagulation tests and plasma fibrinogen levels at admission were studied. Patients were grouped according to severity of coagulopathy at admission: prothrombin time ratio and/or activated partial thromboplastin time ratio of 1.50 or greater, between 1.49 and 1.20, or less than 1.20. Correlation between severity of coagulopathy at admission and initial or delayed fibrinogen deficit (fibrinogen level < 1.5 g/L) within the first 24 hours was established. RESULTS: Of the 663 patients studied, 481 (72%) were male, and the mean (SD) Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 21.3 (17.6). At admission, 105 patients (20%) had severe coagulopathy, 215 (33%) had moderate coagulopathy, and 313 (47%) had no coagulopathy. The number of patients with a fibrinogen level less than 1.5 g/L at admission increased with the severity of coagulopathy: 87%, 29%, and 1%, respectively (p < 0.001). Corresponding rates for an initial fibrinogen level less than 1.0 g/L were 53%, 2%, 0.3%, respectively (p < 0.001). Moreover, severity of coagulopathy at admission was an independent risk factor of the occurrence of fibrinogen deficit within the first 24 hours (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Early coagulopathy at admission in severe trauma patients was strongly associated with a fibrinogen deficit during initial management. In the absence of specific monitoring of fibrinogen, coagulopathy severity helps to guide fibrinogen replacement therapy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and epidemiologic study, level III.