Core temperature following pre-hospital induction of anaesthesia in trauma patients.

INTRODUCTION: Hypothermia is a well-recognised finding in trauma patients, which can occur even in warmer climates. It is an independent predictor of increased morbidity and mortality. It is associated with pre-hospital intubation, although the reasons for this are likely to be multifactorial. Core temperature drop after induction of anaesthesia is a well-known phenomenon in the context of elective surgery, and the mechanisms of this are well established. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study to examine the behaviour of core temperature in patients undergoing pre-hospital anaesthesia for traumatic injuries. RESULTS: Between 2017 and 2021 data were collected on 48 patients. The data from 40 of these were included in the final analysis. DISCUSSION: Our data do not show a decrease in the core temperatures of patients who receive pre-hospital anaesthesia, unlike patients who are anaesthetised without pre-warming, in operating theatres. The lack of a change could relate to patient, anaesthetic or environmental factors.

Upper Airway Obstruction in an Adult: An Unusual Presentation-Dissection of the Cervical Aortic Arch.

Cervical aortic arch is a rare congenital anomaly. It is usually asymptomatic and an incidental finding but can have symptoms of cough, hoarseness of voice, and dysphagia. Although an association with aneurysmal dilatation is described, dissection of a cervical aortic arch is hitherto an unreported complication. We report a 46-year-old woman recently diagnosed with a cervical aortic arch, who presented with an acute upper airway obstruction leading to cardiorespiratory arrest secondary to spontaneous dissection of the cervical aortic arch. How to cite this article: Satyavolu RSN, Fischer R, Ramadoss R, Upper Airway Obstruction in an Adult: An Unusual Presentation-Dissection of the Cervical Aortic Arch. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(6):732-734.

Retrospective review of Prothrombinex use by SAAS MedSTAR.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to review and describe the use of Prothrombinex by a physician-led retrieval service based remote from a hospital blood bank. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study. Patients to whom Prothrombinex was administered by the retrieval team were identified from the retrieval service patient database. The paper case cards of the identified patients were then manually reviewed and the data matched to patients in the state-wide electronic laboratory record. RESULTS: Between 1 January 2010 and 30 November 2013 38 cases were identified. For 28 the indication was warfarinisation associated with life-threatening bleeding (most commonly intracranial or gastrointestinal tract). In the remaining 10 cases, Prothrombinex was used to treat coagulopathy associated with liver disease or massive haemorrhage. The median time saved by the retrieval team administering PTX-VF, rather than waiting to the receiving centre, was 120 min (interquartile range: 85-195 min). The median dose of PTX-VF administered was 23.25 IU/kg (interquartile range: 20-33 IU/kg). Paired international normalised ratios (INRs) were available for 33 of the 38 patients. In the warfarin group, all patients had an improvement in their INR and 21 of 25 had correction of their INR. In the non-warfarin group, the effect on INR was more variable. CONCLUSION: Prothrombinex is a clinically useful product that can be relatively easily stored and used by retrieval services, even if they are based in isolation from a hospital blood bank. More research is required to look at the utility of Prothrombinex for non-warfarin-related bleeding in the pre-hospital and retrieval environment.