With the recognition of early coagulopathy, trauma resuscitation has shifted toward liberal platelet transfusions. The overall benefit of this strategy remains controversial. Our objective was to ...compare the effects of a liberal use of platelet (higher platelet:RBC ratios) with a conservative approach (lower ratios) in trauma resuscitation.
We systematically searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Biosis, Cochrane Central, and Scopus.
Two independent reviewers selected randomized controlled trials and observational studies comparing two or more platelet:RBC ratios in trauma resuscitation. We excluded studies investigating the use of whole blood or hemostatic products.
Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. Primary outcomes were early (in ICU or within 30 d) and late (in hospital or after 30 d) mortality. Secondary outcomes were multiple organ failure, lung injury, and sepsis.
From 6,123 citations, no randomized controlled trials were identified. We included seven observational studies (4,230 patients) addressing confounders through multivariable regression or propensity scores. Heterogeneity of studies precluded meta-analysis. Among the five studies including exclusively patients requiring massive transfusions, four observed a lower mortality with higher ratios. Two studies considering nonmassively bleeding patients observed no benefit of using higher ratios. Two studies evaluated the implementation of a massive transfusion protocol; only one study observed a decrease in mortality with higher ratios. Of the two studies at low risk of survival bias, one study observed a survival benefit. Three studies assessed secondary outcomes. One study observed an increase in multiple organ failure with higher ratios, whereas no study demonstrated an increased risk in lung injury or sepsis.
There is insufficient evidence to strongly support the use of a precise platelet:RBC ratio for trauma resuscitation, especially in nonmassively bleeding patients. Randomized controlled trials evaluating both the safety and efficacy of liberal platelet transfusions are warranted.
Severe traumatic brain injury often leads to death from withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy, although prognosis is difficult to determine.
To evaluate variation in mortality following the ...withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy and hospital mortality in patients with critical illness and severe traumatic brain injury, we conducted a two-year multicentre retrospective cohort study in six Canadian level-one trauma centres. The effect of centre on hospital mortality and withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for baseline patient-level covariates (sex, age, pupillary reactivity and score on the Glasgow coma scale).
We randomly selected 720 patients with traumatic brain injury for our study. The overall hospital mortality among these patients was 228/720 (31.7%, 95% confidence interval CI 28.4%-35.2%) and ranged from 10.8% to 44.2% across centres (χ(2) test for overall difference, p < 0.001). Most deaths (70.2% 160/228, 95% CI 63.9%-75.7%) were associated with withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy, ranging from 45.0% (18/40) to 86.8% (46/53) (χ(2) test for overall difference, p < 0.001) across centres. Adjusted odd ratios (ORs) for the effect of centre on hospital mortality ranged from 0.61 to 1.55 (p < 0.001). The incidence of withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy varied by centre, with ORs ranging from 0.42 to 2.40 (p = 0.001). About one half of deaths that occurred following the withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies happened within the first three days of care.
We observed significant variation in mortality across centres. This may be explained in part by regional variations in physician, family or community approaches to the withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy. Considering the high proportion of early deaths associated with the withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy and the limited accuracy of current prognostic indicators, caution should be used regarding early withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy following severe traumatic brain injury.
Purpose
Restrictive fluid management strategies have been proposed to reduce complications in liver transplant recipients. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the effects of restrictive ...perioperative fluid management strategies, compared with liberal ones, on postoperative outcomes in adult liver transplant recipients. Our primary outcome was acute kidney injury (AKI). Our secondary outcomes were bleeding, mortality, and other postoperative complications.
Source
We searched major databases (CINAHL, EMB Reviews, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and the grey literature) from their inception to 10 July 2018 for randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies comparing two fluid management strategies (or observational studies reporting two outcomes with available data on fluid volume received) in adult liver transplant recipients. Study selection, data abstraction, and risk of bias assessment were performed by at least two investigators. Data from RCTs were pooled using risk ratios (RR) and mean differences (MD) with random-effect models.
Principal findings
We found seven RCTs and 29 observational studies. Based on RCTs, fluid management strategies did not have any effect on AKI, mortality, or any other postoperative complications. Intraoperative RCTs suggested that a restrictive fluid management strategy reduced pulmonary complications (RR, 0.69; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.47 to 0.99;
n
= 283; I
2
= 27%), duration of mechanical ventilation (MD, -13.04 hr; 95% CI, -22.2 to -3.88;
n
= 130; I
2
= 0%) and blood loss (MD, -1.14 L; 95% CI, -1.72 to -0.57;
n
= 151; I
2
= 0%).
Conclusion
Based on low or very low levels of evidence, we did not find any association between restrictive fluid management strategies and AKI, but we observed possible protective effects of intraoperative restrictive fluid management strategies on other outcomes.
Trial registration
PROSPERO (CRD42017054970); registered 18 May, 2017.
To characterize the prevalence, incidence, and temporal evolution of thrombocytopenia (platelets < 100 × 10/L) in septic shock and to investigate the independent association of thrombocytopenia on ...clinical outcomes.
Retrospective, propensity-matched, cohort study.
Two academic ICUs in Winnipeg, Canada.
Nine-hundred eighty adult patients diagnosed with septic shock between 2007 and 2012.
Propensity-matched cohort analysis and Cox proportional hazard model evaluating thrombocytopenia over time.
Of 980 adults, 165 patients (16.8%) had thrombocytopenia at ICU admission (prevalent), whereas 271 (27.7%) developed thrombocytopenia during ICU admission (incident). Among patients with incident thrombocytopenia, the median time from ICU admission to thrombocytopenia was 2 days (interquartile range, 1-3 d). Among survivors, the median time from incident thrombocytopenia to platelet recovery was 6 days (interquartile range, 4-8 d). The median time from liberation of vasopressors to recovery of platelets concentration (≥ 100 × 10/L) was 2 days (interquartile range, 0-4 d). In a propensity-matched analysis, thrombocytopenia was associated with increased durations of ICU length of stay (9 vs 6 d; p < 0.01), mechanical ventilation (7 vs 4 d; p < 0.01), and vasopressor use (4 vs 3 d; p < 0.01), as well as increased major bleeding events (41% vs 18%; p < 0.01). In an adjusted Cox proportional hazards model, thrombocytopenia was significantly associated with both increased ICU mortality (hazard ratio, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.51-2.63) and hospital mortality (hazard ratio, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.48-2.51).
Both the prevalence and incidence of thrombocytopenia are high in septic shock. Incident thrombocytopenia occurs early in septic shock, and platelet recovery lags behind clinical recovery. In septic shock, thrombocytopenia is associated with increased length of stay, longer duration of organ support, major bleeding events, and mortality.
Red blood cell transfusions are common in patients undergoing gastrointestinal cancer surgery. Yet, to adequately balance their risks and benefits, clinicians must understand how transfusions may ...affect long-term outcomes. We aimed to determine if perioperative red blood cell transfusions are associated with a higher risk of all-cause and cancer-specific death among patients who underwent gastrointestinal cancer resection.
We identified a population-based cohort of patients who underwent gastrointestinal cancer resection in Ontario, Canada (2007–2019). All-cause death was compared between transfused and nontransfused patients using Cox proportional hazards regression, while cancer-specific death was compared with competing risk regression.
A total of 74,962 patients (mean age, 67.7 years; 55.4% male; 79.7% colorectal cancer) had gastrointestinal cancer surgery during the study period; 20.8% received perioperative red blood cell transfusions. Patients who received red blood cell transfusions had increased hazards of all-cause and cancer-specific death relative to patients who did not (hazard ratio: 1.39, 95% confidence interval 1.34–1.44; cause-specific hazard ratio: 1.36, 1.30–1.43). The adjusted risk of all-cause death was higher in early follow-up intervals (3–6 months postoperatively) but remained elevated in each interval over 5 years. The association persisted after restricting to patients without postoperative complications or bleeding and was robust to unmeasured confounding.
Red blood cell transfusion among patients with gastrointestinal cancer is associated with increased all-cause death. This was observed long beyond the immediate postoperative period and independent of short-term postoperative morbidity and mortality. These findings should help clinicians balance the risks and benefits of transfusion before well-designed trials are conducted in this patient population.
In cardiac surgery, pulmonary hypertension is an important prognostic factor for which several treatments have been suggested over time. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we compared the ...efficacy of inhaled aerosolized vasodilators to intravenously administered agents and to placebo in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension during cardiac surgery. We searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, Web of Science, and clinicaltrials.gov databases from inception to October 2015. The incidence of mortality was assessed as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included length of stay in hospital and in the intensive care unit, and evaluation of the hemodynamic profile.
Of the 2897 citations identified, 10 studies were included comprising a total of 434 patients.
Inhaled aerosolized agents were associated with a significant decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance (-41.36 dyne·s/cm, P= .03) and a significant increase in mean arterial pressure (8.24 mm Hg, P= .02) and right ventricular ejection fraction (7.29%, P< .0001) when compared to intravenously administered agents. No significant hemodynamically meaningful differences were observed between inhaled agents and placebo; however, an increase in length of stay in the intensive care unit was shown with the use of inhaled aerosolized agents (0.66 days, P= .01). No other differences were observed for either comparison.
The administration of inhaled aerosolized vasodilators for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension during cardiac surgery is associated with improved right ventricular performance when compared to intravenously administered agents. This review does not support any benefit compared to placebo on major outcomes. Further investigation is warranted in this area of research and should focus on clinically significant outcomes.
This study aimed to (i) describe unplanned readmission rates after injury according to time, reason, and place; (ii) compare observed rates with general population rates, and (iii) identify ...determinants of 30-day readmission.
Hospital readmissions represent an important burden in terms of mortality, morbidity, and resource use but information on unplanned rehospitalization after injury admissions is scarce.
This multicenter retrospective cohort study was based on adults discharged alive from a Canadian provincial trauma system (1998-2010; n = 115,329). Trauma registry data were linked to hospital discharge data to obtain information on readmission up to 12 months postdischarge. Provincial admission rates were matched to study data by age and gender to obtain expected rates. Determinants of readmission were identified using multiple logistic regression.
Cumulative readmission rates at 30 days, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months were 5.9%, 10.9%, 15.5%, and 21.1%, respectively. Observed rates persisted above expected rates up to 11 months postdischarge. Thirty percent of 30-day readmissions were due to potential complications of injury compared with 3% for general provincial admissions. Only 23% of readmissions were to the same hospital. The strongest independent predictors of readmission were the number of prior admissions, discharge destination, the number of comorbidities, and age.
Unplanned readmissions after discharge from acute care for traumatic injury are frequent, persist beyond 30 days, and are often related to potential complications of injury. Several patient-, injury-, and hospital-related factors are associated with the risk of readmission. Injury readmission rates should be monitored as part of trauma quality assurance efforts.
Introduction
Activated charcoal is a decontaminating agent used for acute intoxication. It can be mixed with taste additives to overcome its poor palatability. Our purpose was to evaluate the taste ...additives used to improve activated charcoal’s palatability.
Methods
We conducted a systematic review of comparative studies on taste additives used to improve activated charcoal’s palatability. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, and CINAHL. We included controlled trials and observational studies that evaluate the effect of at least one taste additive, compared with activated charcoal alone. Our primary outcome was palatability. Our secondary outcomes included treatment adherence, adsorption efficacy, and adverse events. The risk of bias was assessed using the
Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies
.
Results
Among 38 eligible articles, seven observational studies and three crossover clinical trials met our inclusion criteria. The risk of bias was found to be high for seven studies and intermediate for three others. The preferred flavoring agents were cola and chocolate milk for children, and sweetening agents for adults. All taste additives studied seemed to improve activated charcoal’s palatability, except for yogurt (
n
= 1). The addition of bentonite, sorbitol, carboxymethylcellulose, or yogurt showed no impact on the in-vivo adsorption capacity of activated charcoal, whereas the results were inconclusive for chocolate. No meta-analysis was performed due to insufficient data.
Conclusion
Strategies to improve activated charcoal's palatability seem to enhance the taste. Descriptive data are in favor of a limited impact on activated charcoal's adsorption capacity when adding binding agents or sweeteners.
Trial registration on Prospero
This review is registered as PROSPERO CRD42019135092.
Purpose
In shock, hypotension may contribute to inadequate oxygen delivery, organ failure and death. We conducted the Optimal Vasopressor Titration (OVATION) pilot trial to inform the design of a ...larger trial examining the effect of lower versus higher mean arterial pressure (MAP) targets for vasopressor therapy in shock.
Methods
We randomly assigned critically ill patients who were presumed to suffer from vasodilatory shock regardless of admission diagnosis to a lower (60–65 mmHg) versus a higher (75–80 mmHg) MAP target. The primary objective was to measure the separation in MAP between groups. We also recorded days with protocol deviations, enrolment rate, cardiac arrhythmias and mortality for prespecified subgroups.
Results
A total of 118 patients were enrolled from 11 centres (2.3 patients/site/month of screening). The between-group separation in MAP was 9 mmHg (95 % CI 7–11). In the lower and higher MAP groups, we observed deviations on 12 versus 8 % of all days on vasopressors (
p
= 0.059). Risks of cardiac arrhythmias (20 versus 36 %,
p
= 0.07) and hospital mortality (30 versus 33 %,
p
= 0.84) were not different between lower and higher MAP arms. Among patients aged 75 years or older, a lower MAP target was associated with reduced hospital mortality (13 versus 60 %,
p
= 0.03) but not in younger patients.
Conclusions
This pilot study supports the feasibility of a large trial comparing lower versus higher MAP targets for shock. Further research may help delineate the reasons for vasopressor dosing in excess of prescribed targets and how individual patient characteristics modify the response to vasopressor therapy.
Background
The introduction of trauma systems in many countries worldwide has been shown to improve injury survival. However, few data are available on the long-term evolution of outcomes other than ...mortality. The objective of this study was to describe trends in mortality, unplanned readmission, complications, and length of stay in a mature inclusive trauma system from 1999 to 2012.
Methods
This retrospective cohort study was based on the inclusive trauma system of Quebec, Canada. Data were drawn from the trauma registry linked to the hospital discharge database. Time trends were evaluated using generalized linear mixed models with a correction for hospital clusters and cohort effects.
Results
Between 1999 and 2012, risk-adjusted mortality decreased from 5.8 to 4.2 % for all patients and from 14.9 to 13.1 % for major trauma (
p
< 0.0001). Mean LOS decreased from 9.5 days to 8.0 days for all patients and from 15.5 days to 11.5 days for major trauma (
p
< 0.0001). Unplanned readmission and complication rates remained stable over the observation period at around 6.6 and 11.6 % for all patients and 7.6 and 25.6 % for major trauma, respectively.
Conclusion
The results of this study suggest that there have been significant decreases in patient mortality and hospital length of stay in the inclusive trauma system of Québec over the last decade. Results also suggest that efforts should be made to reduce in-hospital complications and unplanned readmissions. Future research should attempt to identify determinants of observed decreases in mortality and LOS and assess whether similar improvements have occurred in functional outcomes.
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