Administration of tranexamic acid for victims of severe trauma within pre-hospital care ambulance services (PHCAS) in Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION: Trauma is a Global threat and the 5th highest cause of all-cause mortality in Malaysia caused predominantly due to road traffic accidents. Majority of trauma victims are young adults aged between 21-40 years old. In Malaysia, 24 out of 100,000 population die annually due to trauma, rating us amongst the highest in South East Asia. These alarming figures justify aggressive preventive and mitigation strategies. The aim of this paper is to promote the implementation of evidence-based interventions that will reduce the rate of preventable death because of trauma. Tranexamic acid is one of the few interventions in the early management of severe trauma with level-one evidence. Tranexamic acid has been proven to reduce all causes of mortality and mortality due to bleeding. Evidence proves that it is most effective when administered early, particularly within the 1st hour of trauma. This proposed guideline is formulated based upon quality evidence from multicentre studies, clinical practices in other countries and consideration of the local demographic factors with the intent of enabling an easy and simple pathway to administer tranexamic acid early in the care of the severely injured. CONCLUSION: The guideline highlights select pre-hospital criteria's and the methods for drug administration. The authors recognise that some variants may be present amongst certain institutions necessitating minor adaptations, nevertheless the core principles of advocating tranexamic acid early in the course of pre-hospital trauma should be adhered to.

Clay-starch combination for micropollutants removal from wastewater treatment plant effluent.

In this study, a new, more effective and cost-effective treatment alternative is investigated for the removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater treatment plant effluent (WWTP-eff). The potential of combining clay with biodegradable polymeric flocculants is further highlighted. Flocculation is viewed as the best method to get the optimum outcome from clay. In addition, flocculation with cationic starch increases the biodegradability and cost of the treatment. Clay is naturally abundantly available and relatively inexpensive compared to conventional adsorbents. Experimental studies were carried out with existing naturally occurring pharmaceutical concentrations found and measured in WWTP-eff with atrazine spiking for comparison between the demineralised water and WWTP-eff matrix. Around 70% of the total measured pharmaceutical compounds were removable by the clay-starch combination. The effect of clay with and without starch addition was also highlighted.

A Cost-Effective Alternative for Lateral Femoral Wall Perforation in Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction: A Case Report.

Lateral femoral wall perforation is a rare intra-operative complication in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery. However, it can be challenging to manage if it occurs. We share our experience on lateral femoral wall perforation managed by a large fragment washer. A 25-year-old man with right ACL injury presented with knee instability despite physiotherapy. Anterior drawer test (ADT) and Lachman test were grade 3, glide on pivot shift was positive. During ACL reconstruction, the lateral femoral wall was perforated. Due to unavailability of the rescue endobutton and budget constraint, we passed the endobutton through a washer and allowed it to sit on the washer over the lateral femoral wall. ADT and Lachman test on post-operative 6, 12 and 24 weeks were grade 1, with a negative pivot shift test. Lysholm knee score improved from 69 pre-operatively to 98 post-operatively. Conventionally, lateral femoral wall perforation can be managed by rescue endobutton, or screw and washer post technique. As this complication is rare, the rescue endobutton may not be available at all times, and the cost of the implant is also another important factor to consider. A washer can be used as an alternative technique to manage lateral femoral wall perforation in ACL reconstruction as it is not only cost-effective but also provides stable fixation with good functional outcome.

Three Level Thoracolumbar Spondylectomy for Recurrent Giant Cell Tumour of the Spine: A Case Report.

Giant cell tumour (GCT) is a benign tumour but can be locally aggressive and with the potential to metastasise especially to the lungs. Successful treatments have been reported for long bone lesions; however, optimal surgical and medical treatment for spinal and sacral lesions are not well established. In treating spinal GCTs, the aim is to achieve complete tumour excision, restore spinal stability and decompress the neural tissues. The ideal surgical procedure is an en bloc spondylectomy or vertebrectomy, where all tumour cells are removed as recurrence is closely related to the extent of initial surgical excision. However, such a surgery has a high complication rate, such as dura tear and massive blood loss. We report a patient with a missed pathological fracture of T12 treated initially with a posterior subtraction osteotomy, who had recurrence three years after the index surgery and subsequently underwent a three level vertebrectomy and posterior spinal fusion.

Topological characterization of a bacterial cellulose-acrylic acid polymeric matrix.

This paper focuses on the micro- and nano-topological organization of a hydrogel, constituted by a mixture of bacterial cellulose and acrylic acid, and intended for biomedical applications. The presence of acrylic acid promotes the formation of two interpenetrated continuous phases: the primary "pores phase" (PP) containing only water and the secondary "polymeric network phase" (PNP) constituted by the polymeric network swollen by the water. Low field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (LF NMR), rheology, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and release tests were used to determine the characteristics of the two phases. In particular, we found that this system is a strong hydrogel constituted by 81% (v/v) of PP phase the remaining part being occupied by the PNP phase. Pores diameters span in the range 10-100 µm, the majority of them (85%) falling in the range 30-90 µm. The high PP phase tortuosity indicates that big pores are not directly connected to each other, but their connection is realized by a series of interconnected small pores that rend the drug path tortuous. The PNP is characterized by a polymer volume fraction around 0.73 while mesh size is around 3 nm. The theoretical interpretation of the experimental data coming from the techniques panel adopted, yielded to the micro- and nano-organization of our hydrogel.