Title |
Pre-hospital transfusion of packed red blood cells in 147 patients from a UK helicopter emergency medical service
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Published in |
Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, February 2017
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DOI | 10.1186/s13049-017-0356-2 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Richard M. Lyon, Eleanor de Sausmarez, Emily McWhirter, Gary Wareham, Magnus Nelson, Ashley Matthies, Anthony Hudson, Leigh Curtis, Malcolm Q. Russell, on behalf of Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Trust |
Abstract |
Early transfusion of packed red blood cells (PRBC) has been associated with improved survival in patients with haemorrhagic shock. This study aims to describe the characteristics of patients receiving pre-hospital blood transfusion and evaluate their subsequent need for in-hospital transfusion and surgery. The decision to administer a pre-hospital PRBC transfusion was based on clinical judgment. All patients transfused pre-hospital PRBC between February 2013 and December 2014 were included. Pre-hospital and in-hospital records were retrospectively reviewed. One hundred forty-seven patients were included. 142 patients had traumatic injuries and 5 patients had haemorrhagic shock from a medical origin. Median Injury Severity Score was 30. 90% of patients receiving PRBC had an ISS of >15. Patients received a mean of 2.4(±1.1) units of PRBC in the pre-hospital phase. Median time from initial emergency call to hospital arrival was 114 min (IQR 103-140). There was significant improvement in systolic (p < 0.001), diastolic (p < 0.001) and mean arterial pressures (p < 0.001) with PRBC transfusion but there was no difference in HR (p = 0.961). Patients received PRBC significantly faster in the field than waiting until hospital arrival. At the receiving hospital 57% required an urgent surgical or interventional radiology procedure. At hospital arrival, patients had a mean lactate of 5.4(±4.4) mmol/L, pH of 6.9(±1.3) and base deficit of -8.1(±6.7). Mean initial serum adjusted calcium was 2.26(±0.29) mmol/L. 89% received further blood products in hospital. No transfusion complications or significant incidents occurred and 100% traceability was achieved. Pre-hospital transfusion of packed red cells has the potential to improvde outcome for trauma patients with major haemorrhage. The pre-hospital time for trauma patients can be several hours, suggesting transfusion needs to start in the pre-hospital phase. Hospital transfusion research suggests a 1:1 ratio of packed red blood cells to plasma improves outcome and further research into pre-hospital adoption of this strategy is needed. Pre-hospital PRBC transfusion significantly reduces the time to transfusion for major trauma patients with suspected major haemorrhage. The majority of patients receiving pre-hospital PRBC were severely injured and required further transfusion in hospital. Further research is warranted to determine which patients are most likely to have outcome benefit from pre-hospital blood products and what triggers should be used for pre-hospital transfusion. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 50 | 35% |
United States | 20 | 14% |
Australia | 6 | 4% |
Canada | 6 | 4% |
Germany | 3 | 2% |
Ireland | 2 | 1% |
Norway | 1 | <1% |
Italy | 1 | <1% |
United Arab Emirates | 1 | <1% |
Other | 7 | 5% |
Unknown | 47 | 33% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 80 | 56% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 51 | 35% |
Scientists | 12 | 8% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | <1% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 1 | <1% |
Mexico | 1 | <1% |
Czechia | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 132 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 23 | 17% |
Student > Bachelor | 18 | 13% |
Other | 13 | 10% |
Researcher | 11 | 8% |
Student > Postgraduate | 7 | 5% |
Other | 27 | 20% |
Unknown | 36 | 27% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 59 | 44% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 18 | 13% |
Unspecified | 4 | 3% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 3 | 2% |
Social Sciences | 3 | 2% |
Other | 6 | 4% |
Unknown | 42 | 31% |