Influence of blood storage age on immune and coagulation parameters in critically ill transfused patients.

BACKGROUND: Several retrospective studies have suggested that transfusion with red blood cells (RBCs) stored for longer periods is associated with increased mortality. The Age of Blood Evaluation (ABLE) study randomized subjects to receive fresh vs. standard issue RBC units and showed no difference in the primary or secondary endpoints of mortality or change in multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) score. METHODS: In this study a subset of 100 ABLE subjects were enrolled to measure coagulation and immune parameters. Samples were collected pre-transfusion and on days 2, 6, 28, and 180 post-transfusion. Levels of 16 coagulation parameters, regulatory and functional T cells, 25 cytokines, and 16 markers of extracellular vesicles (EVs) were determined. RESULTS: Changes from baseline in levels of protein C, factor V, and EVs expressing phosphatidyl serine and CTLA-4 (CD152) differed between recipients of fresh and standard storage age RBC units, with the vast majority of coagulation and EV markers and all cytokines tested showing no difference between study arms. Although most analytes showed no difference between subjects in the fresh and standard arms of the study, 6 coagulation parameters, 15 cytokines, and 7 EV parameters changed significantly in the period post-transfusion. DISCUSSION: Transfusion of fresh vs. standard issue RBC units does not result in substantial changes in coagulation or immune parameters, up to day 35 of RBC storage. Furthermore, significant changes in multiple coagulation and immune parameters are detectable post-transfusion, though causality cannot be determined based on the current study.

Granulocyte-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Activate Monocytes and Are Associated With Mortality in Intensive Care Unit Patients.

To understand how extracellular vesicle (EV) subtypes differentially activate monocytes, a series of in vitro studies were performed. We found that plasma-EVs biased monocytes toward an M1 profile. Culturing monocytes with granulocyte-, monocyte-, and endothelial-EVs induced several pro-inflammatory cytokines. By contrast, platelet-EVs induced TGF-ß and GM-CSF, and red blood cell (RBC)-EVs did not activate monocytes in vitro. The scavenger receptor CD36 was important for binding of RBC-EVs to monocytes, while blockade of CD36, CD163, CD206, TLR1, TLR2, and TLR4 did not affect binding of plasma-EVs to monocytes in vitro. To identify mortality risk factors, multiple soluble factors and EV subtypes were measured in patients' plasma at intensive care unit admission. Of 43 coagulation factors and cytokines measured, two were significantly associated with mortality, tissue plasminogen activator and cystatin C. Of 14 cellular markers quantified on EVs, 4 were early predictors of mortality, including the granulocyte marker CD66b. In conclusion, granulocyte-EVs have potent pro-inflammatory effects on monocytes in vitro. Furthermore, correlation of early granulocyte-EV levels with mortality in critically ill patients provides a potential target for intervention in management of the pro-inflammatory cascade associated with critical illness.

Targeted clinical control of trauma patient coagulation through a thrombin dynamics model.

We present a methodology for personalizing the clinical treatment of severely injured patients with acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC), an endogenous biological response of impaired coagulation that occurs early after trauma and shock and that is associated with increased bleeding, morbidity, and mortality. Despite biological characterization of ATC, it is not easily or rapidly diagnosed, not always captured by slow laboratory testing, and not accurately represented by coagulation models. This lack of knowledge, combined with the inherent time pressures of trauma treatment, forces surgeons to treat ATC patients according to empirical resuscitation protocols. These entail transfusing large volumes of poorly characterized, nontargeted blood products that are not tailored to an individual, the injury, or coagulation dynamics. Massive transfusion mortality remains at 40 to 70% in the best of trauma centers. As an alternative to blunt treatments, time-consuming tests, and mechanistic models, we used dynamical systems theory to create a simple, biologically meaningful, and highly accurate model that (i) quickly forecasts a driver of downstream coagulation, thrombin concentration after tissue factor stimulation, using rapidly measurable concentrations of blood protein factors and (ii) determines the amounts of additional coagulation factors needed to rectify the predicted thrombin dynamics and potentially remedy ATC. We successfully demonstrate in vitro thrombin control consistent with the model. Compared to another model, we decreased the mean errors in two key trauma patient parameters: peak thrombin concentration after tissue factor stimulation and the time until this peak occurs. Our methodology helps to advance individualized resuscitation of trauma-induced coagulation deficits.

Inducing Acute Traumatic Coagulopathy In Vitro: The Effects of Activated Protein C on Healthy Human Whole Blood.

INTRODUCTION: Acute traumatic coagulopathy has been associated with shock and tissue injury, and may be mediated via activation of the protein C pathway. Patients with acute traumatic coagulopathy have prolonged PT and PTT, and decreased activity of factors V and VIII; they are also hypocoagulable by thromboelastometry (ROTEM) and other viscoelastic assays. To test the etiology of this phenomenon, we hypothesized that such coagulopathy could be induced in vitro in healthy human blood with the addition of activated protein C (aPC). METHODS: Whole blood was collected from 20 healthy human subjects, and was "spiked" with increasing concentrations of purified human aPC (control, 75, 300, 2000 ng/mL). PT/PTT, factor activity assays, and ROTEM were performed on each sample. Mixed effect regression modeling was performed to assess the association of aPC concentration with PT/PTT, factor activity, and ROTEM parameters. RESULTS: In all subjects, increasing concentrations of aPC produced ROTEM tracings consistent with traumatic coagulopathy. ROTEM EXTEM parameters differed significantly by aPC concentration, with stepwise prolongation of clotting time (CT) and clot formation time (CFT), decreased alpha angle (α), impaired early clot formation (a10 and a20), and reduced maximum clot firmness (MCF). PT and PTT were significantly prolonged at higher aPC concentrations, with corresponding significant decreases in factor V and VIII activity. CONCLUSION: A phenotype of acute traumatic coagulopathy can be induced in healthy blood by the in vitro addition of aPC alone, as evidenced by viscoelastic measures and confirmed by conventional coagulation assays and factor activity. This may lend further mechanistic insight to the etiology of coagulation abnormalities in trauma, supporting the central role of the protein C pathway. Our findings also represent a model for future investigations in the diagnosis and treatment of acute traumatic coagulopathy.

The tissue factor pathway mediates both activation of coagulation and coagulopathy after injury.

BACKGROUND: The initiation of coagulation in trauma is thought to originate from exposed tissue factor (TF); recent data have led to the alternative hypothesis that damage-associated molecular patterns may contribute to postinjury coagulation. In acute traumatic coagulopathy, aberrant coagulation is mediated via the activated protein C (aPC) pathway; the upstream regulators of this process and its relation to TF remain uncharacterized. To examine the role of the TF pathway in mediating acute traumatic coagulopathy, we used specific antibody blockades in an established murine model of traumatic hemorrhagic shock, hypothesizing that both coagulation activation after injury and aPC-mediated coagulopathy are driven by TF via thrombin. METHODS: Mice underwent an established model of trauma and hemorrhage and were subjected to either sham (vascular cannulation) or trauma-hemorrhage (cannulation, laparotomy, shock to mean arterial pressure of 35 mm Hg); they were monitored for 60 minutes before sacrifice. Mice in each group were pretreated with either targeted anti-TF antibody to block the TF pathway or hirudin for specific blockade of thrombin. Plasma was assayed for thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) and aPC by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Compared with controls, trauma-hemorrhage mice treated with anti-TF antibody had significantly reduced levels of TAT (2.3 ng/mL vs. 5.7 ng/mL, p = 0.016) and corresponding decreases in aPC (16.3 ng/mL vs. 31.6 ng/mL, p = 0.034), with reductions to levels seen in sham mice. Direct inhibition of thrombin yielded similar results, with reduction in aPC to levels below those seen in sham mice. CONCLUSION: In this study, blockade of the TF pathway led to the attenuation of both thrombin production and aPC activation observed in traumatic shock. Specific thrombin inhibition achieved similar results, indicating that aPC-related coagulopathy is mediated via thrombin activated by the TF pathway. The near-complete blockade of TAT and aPC observed in this model argues for a dominant role of the TF-thrombin pathway in both coagulation activation after injury and traumatic coagulopathy.

The effects of alcohol on coagulation in trauma patients: interpreting thrombelastography with caution.

BACKGROUND: The effects of alcohol on coagulation after trauma remain unclear. In vitro studies show that alcohol may decrease clot strength and inhibit fibrinolysis. Observational data indicate that alcohol leads to altered thrombelastography (TEG) parameters indicative of impaired clot formation. Clinical studies have been inconclusive to date. METHODS: Longitudinal plasma samples were prospectively collected from 415 critically injured trauma patients at a single Level 1 trauma center and were matched with demographic and outcome data. Citrated kaolin TEG and standard coagulation measures were performed in parallel. Univariate and group comparisons were performed by alcohol status, with subsequent linear and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 264 patients (63.6%) had detectable blood alcohol levels (EtOH, >10 mg/dL). These patients were primarily male (87% vs. 79%), were bluntly injured (77% vs. 59%), and had lower median Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (9.5 vs. 14, all p < 0.05) than the EtOH-negative patients. There were no notable differences in pH (7.29 vs. 7.31, p = nonsignificant) or injury severity (median Injury Severity Score [ISS], 11 vs. 14; p = nonsignificant) between the groups. The alcohol-positive patients had a prolonged TEG citrated kaolin R-time (reaction time), or time to initial clot formation (5.91 minutes vs. 4.43 minutes, p = 0.013), prolonged K-time (kinetics time), or time to fixed level of clot strength (1.77 minutes vs. 1.43 minutes, p = 0.036), and decreased α angle (66.5 degrees vs. 70.2 degrees, p = 0.001). In multiple linear regression, for every 10-mg/dL increase in EtOH, R-time was prolonged by 3.84 seconds (p = 0.015), and α angle decreased by 0.11 degrees (p = 0.013). However, in multiple logistic regression analyses, EtOH was a negative predictor of coagulopathy by international normalized ratio (>1.3) and was not predictive of transfusion requirements or early or late mortality. CONCLUSION: Patients with elevated EtOH present with impaired clot formation as assayed by TEG, but this does not correlate with standard measures of coagulopathy or with outcome. Reliance on TEG for determining coagulopathy in intoxicated trauma patients may lead to a misperceived hypocoagulable state and inappropriate transfusion. TEG appears to be affected by EtOH in a previously unreported way, warranting further investigation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and epidemiologic study, level III.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts: hemostatic profiles of whole blood variants.

BACKGROUND: Mounting evidence highlighting the benefits of hemostatic resuscitation has led to a renewed interest in whole blood (WB) and reconstituted WB (RWB). However, few data exist to characterize the clotting profiles of these variants. This study characterizes banked WB variants and RWB in standard 1:1:1 and 2:1:1 transfusion ratios of packed red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, and platelets (PLTs). We hypothesized that the global hemostatic profile of 1:1:1 RWB is superior to 2:1:1 RWB and that PLT-modified WB (MWB) is superior to 1:1:1 RWB. METHODS: Twenty-three units of packed red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, and PLTs were obtained from the regional blood collection center and mixed to create 23 1:1:1 and 23 2:1:1 RWB units. Freshly donated WB units were obtained and used to create 11 of each nonmodified WB (NMWB) (room temperature and cooled) and MWB (room temperature and cooled) variants. International normalized ratio (INR)/partial thromboplastin time (PTT), complete blood cell count, functional studies, and an extensive panel of procoagulant and anticoagulant factor assays were performed on all products. RESULTS: The 1:1:1 RWB had significantly lower INR and PTT (1.31 vs. 1.55, p = 0.0029; 42 seconds vs. 50 seconds, p = 0.0008) and higher activity of factors II, V, VII, VIII, IX, and X; antithrombin III, as well as protein C and higher fibrinogen levels than did 2:1:1 RWB (factor IX, 86% vs. 70%, p = 0.0313; fibrinogen, 242 mg/dL vs. 202 mg/dL, p = 0.0385). There were no differences in INR/PTT or factor activity between MWB and NMWB. However, MWB had greater maximum clot firmness (MCF) by rotational thromboelastometry tissue factor-activated extrinsic clotting cascade measures than did NMWB (MCF, 61 mm vs. 50 mm, p = 0.0031). MWB also had greater MCF by rotational thromboelastometry tissue factor-activated extrinsic clotting cascade measures than did 1:1:1 RWB (MCF, 61 mm vs. 45 mm, p = 0.0005). CONCLUSION: Although 1:1:1 RWB had a superior clotting profile relative to 2:1:1 RWB, MWB exhibited even better global hemostasis than did 1:1:1 RWB. Characterization of factor-level and functional clotting differences between WB variants is imperative for understanding the clinical benefits of hemostatic resuscitation.

The natural history and effect of resuscitation ratio on coagulation after trauma: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the natural history of coagulation factor perturbation after injury and identify longitudinal differences in clotting factor repletion by red blood cell:fresh frozen plasma (RBC:FFP) transfusion ratio. BACKGROUND: Hemostatic transfusion ratios of RBC to FFP approaching 1:1 are associated with a survival advantage in traumatic hemorrhage, even in patients with normal coagulation studies. METHODS: Plasma was prospectively collected from 336 trauma patients during their intensive care unit stay for up to 72 hours from February, 2005, to October, 2011. Standard coagulation studies as well as pro- and anticoagulant clotting factors were measured. RBC:FFP transfusion ratios were calculated at 6 hours after arrival and dichotomized into "low ratio" (RBC:FFP ≤ 1.5:1) and "high ratio" (RBC:FFP > 1.5:1) groups. RESULTS: Factor-level measurements from 193 nontransfused patients provide an early natural history of clotting factor-level changes after injury. In comparison, 143 transfused patients had more severe injury, prolonged prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time (PTT), and lower levels of both pro- and anticoagulants up to 24 hours. PTT was prolonged up to 12 hours and only returned to admission baseline at 48 hours in "high ratio" patients versus correction by 6 hours in "low ratio" patients. Better repletion of factors V, VIII, and IX was seen longitudinally, and both unadjusted and injury-adjusted survival was significantly improved in "low ratio" versus "high ratio" groups. CONCLUSIONS: Resuscitation with a "low ratio" of RBC:FFP leads to earlier correction of coagulopathy, and earlier and prolonged repletion of some but not all procoagulant factors. This prospective evidence suggests hemostatic resuscitation as an interim standard of care for transfusion in critically injured patients pending the results of ongoing randomized study.

Fibrinogen and platelet contributions to clot formation: implications for trauma resuscitation and thromboprophylaxis.

BACKGROUND: Thromboelastography (TEG) is used to diagnose perturbations in clot formation and lysis that are characteristic of acute traumatic coagulopathy. With novel functional fibrinogen (FF) TEG, fibrin- and platelet-based contributions to clot formation can be elucidated to tailor resuscitation and thromboprophylaxis. We sought to describe the longitudinal contributions of fibrinogen and platelets to clot strength after injury, hypothesizing that low levels of FF and a low contribution of fibrinogen to clot strength on admission would be associated with coagulopathy, increased transfusion requirements, and worse outcomes. METHODS: A total of 603 longitudinal plasma samples were prospectively collected from 251 critically injured patients at a single Level 1 trauma center from 0 hour to 120 hours. TEG maximal amplitude (MA), FF MA, FF levels, von Clauss fibrinogen, and standard coagulation measures were performed in parallel. Percentage contributions of FF (%MA(FF)) and platelets (%MA(platelets)) were calculated as each MA divided by overall kaolin TEG MA. RESULTS: Coagulopathic patients (international normalized ratio ≥ 1.3) had significantly lower admission %MA(FF) than noncoagulopathic patients (24.7% vs. 31.2%, p < 0.05). Patients requiring plasma transfusion had a significantly lower admission %MA(FF) (26.6% vs. 30.6%, p < 0.05). Higher admission %MA(FF) was predictive of reduced mortality (hazard ratio, 0.815, p < 0.001). %MA(platelets) was higher than %MA(FF) at all time points, decreased over time, and stabilized at 72 hours (69.4% at 0 hour, 56.2% at 72 hours). In contrast, %MA(FF) increased over time and stabilized at 72 hours (30.6% at 0 hour, 43.8% at 72 hours). CONCLUSION: FF TEG affords differentiation of fibrin- versus platelet-based clot dynamics. Coagulopathy and plasma transfusion were associated with a lower %MA(FF). Despite this importance of fibrinogen, platelets had a greater contribution to clot strength at all time points after injury. This suggests that attention to these relative contributions should guide resuscitation and thromboprophylaxis and that antiplatelet therapy may be of underrecognized importance to thromboprophylaxis after trauma. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic study, level III.

Extracellular histone release in response to traumatic injury: implications for a compensatory role of activated protein C.

BACKGROUND: Tissue injury leads to the release of DAMPs (damage-associated molecular patterns) that may drive a sterile inflammatory response; however, the role of extracellular histone levels after traumatic injury remains unexplored. We hypothesized that extracellular histone levels would be increased and associated with poor outcomes after traumatic injury. METHODS: In this prognostic study, plasma was prospectively collected from 132 critically injured trauma patients on arrival and 6 hours after admission to an urban Level I trauma intensive care unit. Circulating extracellular histone levels and plasma clotting factors were assayed and linked to resuscitation and outcome data. RESULTS: Of 132 patients, histone levels were elevated to a median of 14.0 absorbance units (AU) on arrival, declining to 6.4 AU by 6 hours. Patients with elevated admission histone levels had higher ISS (Injury Severity Score), lower admission GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale) score, more days of mechanical ventilation, and higher incidences of multiorgan failure, acute lung injury, and mortality (all p ≤ 0.05). Histone levels correlated with prolonged international normalized ratio and partial thromboplastin time, fibrinolytic markers D-dimer and tissue-type plasminogen activator, and anticoagulants tissue factor pathway inhibitor and activated protein C (aPC; all p < 0.03). Increasing histone level from admission to 6 hours was a multivariate predictor of mortality (hazard ratio, 1.005; p = 0.013). When aPC level trends were included, the impact of histone level increase on mortality was abrogated (p = 0.206) by a protective effect of increasing aPC levels (hazard ratio, 0.900; p = 0.020). CONCLUSION: Extracellular histone levels are elevated in response to traumatic injury and correlate with fibrinolysis and activation of anticoagulants. An increase in histone levels from admission to 6 hours is predictive of mortality, representing evidence of ongoing release of intracellular antigens similar to that seen in sepsis. Concomitant elevation of aPC abrogates this effect, suggesting a possible role for aPC in mitigating the sterile inflammatory response after trauma through the proteolysis of circulating histones. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic study, level III.

Molecular and cellular effects of azilsartan: a new generation angiotensin II receptor blocker.

BACKGROUND: Azilsartan medoxomil is a newly approved angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) reported to lower 24-h blood pressure more effectively than maximally recommended doses of older ARBs. Although azilsartan is considered to be an unusually potent angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonist, little is known about the potential pleiotropic effects of this molecule. METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated pleiotropic features of azilsartan in cell-based assay systems independent of its effects on blood pressure. In cultured 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, azilsartan enhanced adipogenesis and exerted greater effects than valsartan on expression of genes encoding peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα), PPARδ, leptin, adipsin, and adiponectin. The effects of azilsartan on adipocyte differentiation and gene expression were observed at concentrations of azilsartan that did not classically stimulate PPAR activity in cell-based transactivation assays. Azilsartan also potently inhibited vascular cell proliferation in the absence of exogenously supplemented angiotensin II. In aortic endothelial cells, azilsartan inhibited cell proliferation at concentrations as low as 1 µmol/l, whereas valsartan showed little or no antiproliferative effects at concentrations below 10 µmol/l. Antiproliferative effects of azilsartan were also observed in cells lacking AT1 receptors. In addition, azilsartan, but not valsartan, blocked angiotensin II-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase in vascular smooth muscle cells 4-8 h after washout of drug from the incubation media. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that azilsartan can function as a pleiotropic ARB with potentially beneficial effects on cellular mechanisms of cardiometabolic disease through actions that could involve more than just blockade of AT1 receptors and/or reduction in blood pressure.