Effect of tranexamic acid use on blood loss and thromboembolic risk in hip fracture surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Intravenous tranexamic acid (IV TXA) is a recognised pharmaceutical intervention utilised to minimise blood loss and allogenic blood transfusion. However, the use of IV TXA in hip fracture surgery remains inconclusive. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the role of TXA in operative hip fracture management on operative and total blood loss, allogenic blood transfusion requirements and impact on venous thromboembolic (VTE) event incidence. METHODS: A systematic computerised literature search of PubMed, Medline, Embase, Ovid, The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, Trip and Google was conducted. We reviewed the efficacy of IV TXA on perioperative blood loss, total blood loss, pre- and postoperative haemoglobin differences, duration of surgery, allogenic blood transfusion requirements and VTE events. RESULTS: 8 studies were eligible including 6 randomised control trials and 2 cohort studies. Patients receiving IV TXA had reduced mean total blood loss of 442.9 mls (95% CI, 426.5-459.3; p<0.00001), reduced operative blood loss of 88.5 mls (95% CI, 59.9-117.2; p<0.00001), a decrease in the need for allogenic blood transfusion (OR 0.37; 95% CI, 0.26-0.53; p<0.00001) and a reduction in pre- and postoperative haemoglobin difference (p = 0.013.) There was no significant increase in VTE risk (OR 1.59; 95% CI 0.67-3.75; p>0.29) or significant difference on duration of surgery seen with IV TXA usage (p>0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Our review demonstrated the efficacy of IV TXA in minimising perioperative, reducing total blood loss and lowering the necessity for allogenic blood transfusions with no significant increased risk in VTE events.

Barriers to staff reporting adverse incidents in NHS hospitals.

Our study assessed barriers to reporting adverse incidents (AIs). Adverse incident reporting (AIR), although it is a pillar of risk management, has a wide variation in staff perception and usage. A questionnaire was used in five NHS hospitals to assess 267 members of multidisciplinary team (MDT) staff usage of AIR. Thirty-three percent of staff had never reported an adverse incident (AI). Fourty-one percent of staff had missed opportunities to report AIs due to a poor response to previous reports. The group who missed opportunities had a significantly higher proportion of not having received feedback to their previous AI (p=0.03). In the group who had received training, 79% had submitted an AI. This was significantly higher than the group who had not received training (63%, p=0.02). Our study revealed that training and feedback following AIR are two major factors that could improve confidence in and use of AI reporting.

Is valve repair preferable to valve replacement in ischaemic mitral regurgitation? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ischaemic mitral regurgitation (MR) is associated with poor survival. The favoured surgical option remains debatable. Our aim was to perform a meta-analysis to compare the outcomes of mitral valve repair (MVRp) with replacement (MVR). A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Medline and Ovid using the terms 'ischaemic mitral regurgitation', 'repair' and 'replacement'. The primary outcome measure was 30-day survival. The secondary outcome measures were MR recurrence and reoperation. Out of 310 articles, 18 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A total of 3978 patients were included: 2563 (64%) MVRp cases and 1415 (36%) MVR cases. Operative techniques included annuloplasty for MVRp and subvalvular apparatus-sparing MVR techniques. Thirty-day mortality was lower after MVRp compared with MVR [OR 0.42; (95% CI 0.33-0.54; P = 0.0001)]. There was no difference in long-term survival ranging 1-5 years (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.65-1.12). Recurrence of MR was significantly higher in the MVRp group (OR 4.26, 95% CI 2.52-7.22), as was the rate of reoperation (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.49-2.77). Although MVR for ischaemic MR has a higher 30-day mortality rate compared with MVRp, MVRp is associated with the higher rate of MR recurrence and the need for reoperation. MVR remains an attractive option for ischaemic MR.

Inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm: a persistent painful hip.

The presentation of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with isolated hip pain is a rare phenomenon. We present an atypical case of a 58-year-old previously fit man who presented with a 6-month history of progressively worsening left hip pain associated with unintentional weight loss, tender bilateral testicular swellings and a large non-tender palpable mass on abdominal examination. Urgent abdominal CT scan findings revealed a 15 cm infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm extending to the aortic bifurcation associated with an extensive left hydronephrosis. In theatre, the diagnosis of inflammatory AAA (IAAA) was confirmed following the presence of pyuria and a successful repair with an open approach using a bifurcated dacron graft was performed.

Pocket-size hand-held cardiac ultrasound as an adjunct to clinical examination in the hands of medical students and junior doctors.

AIMS: While patient history taking and physical examination remain the cornerstones of patient evaluation in clinical practice, there has been a decline in the accuracy of the latter. Pocket-size hand-held echocardiographic (PHHE) devices have recently been introduced and could potentially improve the diagnostic accuracy of both medical students and junior doctors. The amount of training required to achieve optimal results remains a matter of debate. We hypothesized that the use of PHHE after limited training in the form of a tutorial can improve the clinical diagnosis even in the hands of medical students and inexperienced physicians. METHODS AND RESULTS: Five final-year medical students and three junior doctors without prior echocardiographic experience participated in a standardized 2 h PHHE bedside tutorial. Subsequently, they assessed 122 cardiology patients using history, physical examination, ECG and PHHE. Their final clinical diagnosis was compared against that of a consultant clinician's and also expert in echocardiography. A total of 122 PHHE were performed of which 64 (53%) by final-year medical students and 58 (47%) by junior doctors. Mean ± SD for diagnostic accuracy after history, physical examination, and ECG interpretation was 0.49 ± 0.22 (maximum = 1), whereas the addition of PHHE increased its value to 0.75 ± 0.28 (Z = -7.761, P<0.001). When assessing left ventricular systolic dysfunction by means of history and physical examination, specificity was 84.9% and sensitivity only 25.9%, whereas after including findings from PHHE, these figures rose to 93.6 and 74.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The use of PHHE after brief bedside training in the form of a tutorial greatly improved the clinical diagnosis of medical students and junior doctors, over and above history, physical examination, and ECG findings.