Prehospital predictors of the need for transfusion in patients with major trauma.

PURPOSE: Severe haemorrhage is a leading cause of early mortality following major trauma. By early identification of patients at risk, blood transfusion could already be initiated in the prehospital period. Aim of the study was to evaluate the extent to which prehospital lactate and base excess, which are known to be associated with trauma-induced coagulopathy, and additional clinical parameters are associated with the need for early transfusion. METHODS: In this prospective, single-centre observational study, trauma patients treated by a helicopter emergency medical service were included, regardless of the injury severity. Patients with coagulation-influencing drugs in long-term therapy were excluded. Blood samples obtained at the beginning of the prehospital treatment were analysed. Primary outcome was the association of lactate and base excess with the need for early transfusion (resuscitation room or immediate surgery). Receiver operating characteristic curves were created, and the area under the curve (AUROC) was calculated. RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2018, 21 out of 130 adult trauma patients received blood products during the early in-hospital treatment. Both prehospital lactate and base excess were associated with the transfusion (AUROC 0.731 and 0.798, respectively). The optimal calculated cut-off values were 4 mmol/l (lactate) and - 2.5 mmol/l (base excess). When circulatory instability and suspected relevant bleeding were included, the association further improved (AUROC 0.871 and 0.866, respectively). CONCLUSION: Prehospital lactate and base excess could be used in combination with other clinical parameters as indicators of the need for early transfusion. This relationship has yet to be confirmed in the current validation study. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register, www.drks.de (No. DRKS 00009559).

Prehospital evaluation and detection of induced coagulopathy in trauma: The PREDICT study.

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhage with trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) and hyperfibrinolysis (HF) increases the mortality risk after severe trauma. While TIC at hospital admission is well studied, little is known about coagulopathy at the incident site. The aim of the study was to investigate coagulation disorders already present on scene. METHODS: In a prospective single-center observational study, blood samples of trauma patients obtained before and at hospital admission were analyzed. Data on rotational thromboelastometry, blood gas analysis, prehospital treatment, injury severity, in-hospital blood transfusions, and mortality were investigated according to the presence of coagulation disorders at the incident site. The patients were divided into three groups according to the presence of coagulation disorders (no coagulopathy, TIC, TIC with HF). In a subgroup analysis, patients with a Trauma-Induced Coagulopathy Clinical Score (TICCS) of ≥10 were investigated. RESULTS: Between August 2015 and February 2018, 148 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean Injury Severity Score was 22.1, and overall mortality was 7.4%. Trauma-induced coagulopathy and HF were already detectable at the incident site in 18.2% and 6.1%, respectively. Patients with HF had significantly altered circulation parameters with significant changes in pH, hemoglobin, lactate, and base excess at the incident site. In patients with TICCS of ≥10 (14.2%), TIC was detected in 47.6% of the cases and HF in 28.6%. Furthermore, in these patients, blood gas parameters significantly changed and the need for blood transfusion and mortality. CONCLUSION: Trauma-induced coagulopathy and HF can be detected in severely injured patients even before medical treatment is started. Furthermore, in patients with HF and TICCS of ≥10, blood gas parameters were significantly changed at the incident site. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic study, level III.