Pro-Con Debate: Prehospital Blood Transfusion-Should It Be Adopted for Civilian Trauma?

Exsanguination is the leading cause of death in severely injured patients; nevertheless, prehospital blood transfusion (PHT) remains a controversial topic. Here, we review the pros and cons of PHT, which is now routine in treatment of military trauma patients in the civilian setting. While PHT may improve survival in those who suffer blunt injury or require prolonged transport from the site of injury, PHT for civilian trauma generally is not supported by high-quality evidence. This article was originally presented as a pro-con debate at the 2020 meeting of the European Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care.

Pediatric Trauma: Six Years of Experience in a Swiss Trauma Center.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to provide an internationally comparable overview of pediatric trauma of the University Hospital of Lausanne to improve the care of children. METHODS: We analyzed the data from all injured children (<16 years of age) listed in our trauma registry from 2011 to 2016. These children were admitted to the resuscitation room after prehospital triage. Our data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: We included 327 children. Sixty-three percent were male, and the median age was 8 years. Severe trauma (Injury Severity Score (ISS), >15) occurred in 97 children. The principal mechanisms of injury were falls (45%), traffic accidents (29%), and burns (14%). The most frequently affected areas were the head and external body regions. Intensive care admissions amounted to 27%. Twenty percent of patients underwent immediate surgery (wound care, neurosurgery, and orthopedic surgery). The overall mortality rate was 5.5%, with a median ISS of 9. The mortality of severe trauma was 17.5%, with a median ISS of 22. Half of the children died within 6 hours. The main causes of death were falls from greater than 5 m and traffic accidents as pedestrians. CONCLUSIONS: The demographics and patterns of injury in the pediatric trauma population are similar to other European pediatric trauma centers, but the mortality and the severity of injuries can vary (United Kingdom, 3.7%, median ISS of 9; Denmark, 7.3%, median ISS of 9; and Germany, 13.4%, median ISS of 25). The elevated early mortality rate suggests that improvements in prehospital care and early resuscitation could decrease mortality.

Recognizing Preventable Death: Is There a Role of Survival Prediction Algorithms?

Monitoring the quality of trauma care is important but particularly challenging. Preventable death assessment aims to identify those cases where the patient's death would have not occurred if the patient had been treated differently. Determination of preventable death in trauma care is often based on calculated probability of survival, commonly by using the Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS). TRISS is not suited for identifying all cases with opportunities for improvement. Combined with other methods such as morbidity and mortality conferences, however, it might be a valid approach if a complete review of all trauma deaths is not feasible at an institution.

[Pain and osteoarthritis]. / Douleurs et arthrose.

Osteoarthritis is one of the principal reasons for chronic pain worldwide. With the increase of life span, sedentary lifestyle and obesity, its socioeconomic impact is on the rise. The origin of osteoarthritis pain is heterogeneous and related to structural changes of all intra-and para-articular components. Optimization of biomechanics constitutes a principal pillar of therapeutic strategies. Although disease-modifying concepts are the main goal, symptomatic therapies may bring temporary relief. Identification of a neuropathic component of pain is important to implement the optimal pharmacotherapy. Based on today's knowledge, therapy evolves towards a multimodal approach, which should be implemented early on.

L'arthrose est l'une des causes principales de douleurs chroniques au niveau mondial. Avec l'augmentation de l'espérance de vie, la sédentarité et la surcharge pondérale, elle a un impact socioéconomique important. L'origine des douleurs arthrosiques est hétérogène et liée à des altérations structurelles et métaboliques de toutes les composantes articulaires et para-articulaires. L'optimalisation biomécanique constitue l'un des piliers thérapeutiques principaux. L'amélioration du cours de la maladie en soi doit être l'objectif primaire, mais des traitements symptomatiques peuvent apporter un soulagement temporaire. L'identification d'une composante neuropathique des douleurs est importante pour le choix du traitement pharmacologique. Aujourd'hui, la stratégie thérapeutique évolue vers une prise en charge multimodale qui doit être instaurée tôt et de manière conséquente.

Revisiting transfusion safety and alternatives to transfusion.

Transfusion of blood products can be life saving when used appropriately. It carries however at the same time a potential for morbidity and mortality, depending on the patient, the product or the setting. Numerous strategies have been elaborated to minimize these risks, and in recent years, transfusion has no longer been regarded as essential for the management of a wide range of diseases. Uncomplicated surgeries in well-prepared patients can now be conducted without the use of transfusions. Questions about transfusion safety and shortage have led to extensive research on alternatives to blood transfusion, ranging from non-pharmacological to pharmacological solutions. Restrictive transfusion therapies, preoperative autologous blood donations, perioperative red cell salvage, acute normovolaemic haemodilution techniques or patient blood management are potential solutions where prothrombin complex or fibrinogen concentrates, synthetic anti-fibrinolytic agents, desmopressin, rFVIIa, or erythropoiesis stimulating agents may play a complementary pharmacologic role.

Survival prediction algorithms miss significant opportunities for improvement if used for case selection in trauma quality improvement programs.

BACKGROUND: Quality improvement (QI) programs have shown to reduce preventable mortality in trauma care. Detailed review of all trauma deaths is a time and resource consuming process and calculated probability of survival (Ps) has been proposed as audit filter. Review is limited on deaths that were 'expected to survive'. However no Ps-based algorithm has been validated and no study has examined elements of preventability associated with deaths classified as 'expected'. The objective of this study was to examine whether trauma performance review can be streamlined using existing mortality prediction tools without missing important areas for improvement. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of all trauma deaths reviewed by our trauma QI program. Deaths were classified into non-preventable, possibly preventable, probably preventable or preventable. Opportunities for improvement (OPIs) involve failure in the process of care and were classified into clinical and system deviations from standards of care. TRISS and PS were used for calculation of probability of survival. Peer-review charts were reviewed by a single investigator. RESULTS: Over 8 years, 626 patients were included. One third showed elements of preventability and 4% were preventable. Preventability occurred across the entire range of the calculated Ps band. Limiting review to unexpected deaths would have missed over 50% of all preventability issues and a third of preventable deaths. 37% of patients showed opportunities for improvement (OPIs). Neither TRISS nor PS allowed for reliable identification of OPIs and limiting peer-review to patients with unexpected deaths would have missed close to 60% of all issues in care. CONCLUSIONS: TRISS and PS fail to identify a significant proportion of avoidable deaths and miss important opportunities for process and system improvement. Based on this, all trauma deaths should be subjected to expert panel review in order to aim at a maximal output of performance improvement programs.

Embolization for multicompartmental bleeding in patients in hemodynamically unstable condition: prognostic factors and outcome.

PURPOSE: To determine prognostic factors and evaluate outcomes of transcatheter arterial embolization in severely injured patients in hemodynamically unstable condition with multicompartmental bleeding. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between June 2000 and May 2008, 36 consecutive patients treated with transcatheter arterial embolization for major retroperitoneal bleeding associated with at least one additional source of bleeding were retrospectively reviewed. Mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 49.4 ± 15.8. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify parameters associated with failure of embolization, need for additional surgery to control bleeding, and fatal outcome at 30 d. RESULTS: Embolization was technically successful in 35 of 36 patients (97.2%) and resulted in immediate and sustained (> 24 h) hemodynamic improvement in 29 (80.5%). Additional hemostatic surgery was necessary after embolization in six patients (16.6%). Fifteen patients (41.6%) died within 30 d. Failure to restore hemodynamic stability was correlated with the rate of administration of packed red blood cells (P = .014), rate of administration of fresh frozen plasma (FFP; P = .031), and systolic blood pressure (SBP) immediately before embolization (P = .002). The need for additional surgery was correlated with FFP administration rate before embolization (P = .0002) and hemodynamic success (P = .003). Death was correlated with Glasgow Coma Scale score at admission (P = .001), ISS (P = .014), New Injury Severity Score (P = .016), number of injured sites (P = .012), SBP before embolization (P = .042), need for vasopressive drugs before embolization (P = .037), and hemodynamic success (P = .0004). CONCLUSIONS: In patients in hemodynamically unstable condition, transcatheter arterial embolization effectively controls bleeding and improves hemodynamic stability. Immediate survival is related to hemodynamic condition before embolization, and 30-d mortality is mainly related to associated brain trauma.

Knowledge of Glasgow coma scale by air-rescue physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the theoretical and practical knowledge of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) by trained Air-rescue physicians in Switzerland. METHODS: Prospective anonymous observational study with a specially designed questionnaire. General knowledge of the GCS and its use in a clinical case were assessed. RESULTS: From 130 questionnaires send out, 103 were returned (response rate of 79.2%) and analyzed. Theoretical knowledge of the GCS was consistent for registrars, fellows, consultants and private practitioners active in physician-staffed helicopters. The clinical case was wrongly scored by 38 participants (36.9%). Wrong evaluation of the motor component occurred in 28 questionnaires (27.2%), and 19 errors were made for the verbal score (18.5%). Errors were made most frequently by registrars (47.5%, p = 0.09), followed by fellows (31.6%, p = 0.67) and private practitioners (18.4%, p = 1.00). Consultants made significantly less errors than the rest of the participating physicians (0%, p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were shown between anesthetists, general practitioners, internal medicine trainees or others. CONCLUSION: Although the theoretical knowledge of the GCS by out-of-hospital physicians is correct, significant errors were made in scoring a clinical case. Less experienced physicians had a higher rate of errors. Further emphasis on teaching the GCS is mandatory.