deamino-arginine-vasopressin and Wounds-and-Injuries

Hemorrhage in trauma is a significant challenge, accounting for 30% to 40% of all fatalities, second only to central nervous system injury as a cause of death. However, hemorrhagic death is the leading preventable cause of mortality in combat casualties and typically occurs within 6 to 24 hrs of injury. In cases of severe hemorrhage, massive transfusion may be required to replace more than the entire blood volume. Early prediction of massive transfusion requirements, using clinical and laboratory parameters, combined with aggressive management of hemorrhage by surgical and nonsurgical means, has significant potential to reduce early mortality.. Although the classification of massive transfusion varies, the most frequently used definition is ten or more units of blood in 24 hrs. Transfusion of red blood cells is intended to restore blood volume, tissue perfusion, and oxygen-carrying capacity; platelets, plasma, and cryoprecipitate are intended to facilitate hemostasis through prevention or treatment of coagulopathy. Massive transfusion is uncommon in civilian trauma, occurring in only 1% to 3% of trauma admissions. As a result of a higher proportion of penetrating injury in combat casualties, it has occurred in approximately 8% of Operation Iraqi Freedom admissions and in as many as 16% during the Vietnam conflict. Despite its potential to reduce early mortality, massive transfusion is not without risk. It requires extensive blood-banking resources and is associated with high mortality.. This review describes the clinical problems associated with massive transfusion and surveys the nonsurgical management of hemorrhage, including transfusion of blood products, use of hemostatic bandages/agents, and treatment with hemostatic medications.

Topics: Acidosis; Antifibrinolytic Agents; Bandages; Blood Coagulation Disorders; Blood Transfusion; Cause of Death; Critical Care; Deamino Arginine Vasopressin; Factor VIIa; Factor VIII; Fibrinogen; Hemorrhage; Hemostatics; Humans; Hyperkalemia; Hypocalcemia; Hypothermia; Military Medicine; Recombinant Proteins; Resuscitation; Risk Factors; Transfusion Reaction; United States; Wounds and Injuries; Zeolites

Several FDA-approved intravenous drugs are used to reduce surgical bleeding. This series of studies tested whether these drugs (aprotinin, desmopressin, tranexamic acid, epsilon-aminocaproic acid) could reduce bleeding due to traumatic injuries in two models of uncontrolled hemorrhage in rats. In the first phase of each study, a nonlethal tail bleeding model was used that incorporated limited fluid resuscitation (lactate Ringer's solution). Four doses of vehicle or the test substance were given successively with bleeding time and blood loss measured after each dose. In the second phase of each study, a lethal liver injury was produced by excising a section of the median lobe (approximately 0.8% of body weight) and an infusion of either vehicle or the test substance was immediately begun. This model included aggressive fluid resuscitation and a severe dilutional coagulopathy. Blood loss, survival time and mortality rate were recorded. Three studies were performed, testing each of the drugs singly and in combination. None of the drugs significantly reduced either bleeding time or blood loss in the tail bleeding model, nor were blood loss, survival time or mortality rate altered in the liver injury model. Taken together, these results suggest that these FDA-approved drugs, when used either singly or in combination, are not efficacious in these models of traumatic uncontrolled hemorrhage.

Topics: Aminocaproic Acid; Animals; Antifibrinolytic Agents; Aprotinin; Deamino Arginine Vasopressin; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Approval; Drug Therapy, Combination; Hemorrhage; Hemostatics; Infusions, Intravenous; Liver; Male; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Survival Analysis; Tail; Tranexamic Acid; Wounds and Injuries

A 12-year-old boy presented with a traumatic hyphaema that failed to settle with the standard treatment. Subsequent investigation showed that despite a normal APTT, he had a low factor VIII:C. Treatment with DDAVP precipitated further bleeding despite correction of the fVIII:C to normal, possibly caused by the vasodilation induced by the therapy. Bleeding was effectively treated with recombinant fVIII concentrate. DDAVP may be contraindicated in mild Haemophilia and von Willebrand patients for treatment of traumatic hyphaema.

Topics: Child; Contraindications; Deamino Arginine Vasopressin; Disease Management; Factor VIII; Hemophilia A; Hemostatics; Humans; Hyphema; Male; Partial Thromboplastin Time; Recombinant Proteins; Wounds and Injuries

Topics: Blood Transfusion; Contraindications; Deamino Arginine Vasopressin; Emergencies; Factor IX; Factor VIII; Hemophilia A; Hemophilia B; Hemorrhage; Hemostatics; Humans; Male; Risk Factors; Wounds and Injuries

Two patients with post-traumatic diabetes insipidus (DI) are reported. One had suffered a fatal injury and the other a mild contusion without amnesia before DI developed. These two instances exemplify the wide spectrum of post-traumatic DI and, hence, the importance of ruling out DI even afer a mild closed-head injury.

Topics: Adult; Central Nervous System; Deamino Arginine Vasopressin; Diabetes Insipidus; Diuresis; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Vasopressins; Wounds and Injuries