Fibrinolytic system activation immediately following trauma was quickly and intensely suppressed in a rat model of severe blunt trauma

RESUSCITATIVE ENDOVASCULAR BALLOON OCCLUSION OF THE AORTA: ZONE 1 REPERFUSION-INDUCED COAGULOPATHY

ABSTRACT

Objective: We sought to identify potential drivers behind resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) induced reperfusion coagulopathy using novel proteomic methods. Background: Coagulopathy associated with REBOA is poorly defined. The REBOA Zone 1 provokes hepatic and intestinal ischemia that may alter coagulation factor production and lead to molecular pathway alterations that compromises hemostasis. We hypothesized that REBOA Zone 1 would lead to reperfusion coagulopathy driven by mediators of fibrinolysis, loss of coagulation factors, and potential endothelial dysfunction. Methods: Yorkshire swine were subjected to a polytrauma injury (blast traumatic brain injury, tissue injury, and hemorrhagic shock). Pigs were randomized to observation only (controls, n = 6) or to 30 min of REBOA Zone 1 (n = 6) or REBOA Zone 3 (n = 4) as part of their resuscitation. Thromboelastography was used to detect coagulopathy. ELISA assays and mass spectrometry proteomics were used to measure plasma protein levels related to coagulation and systemic inflammation. Results: After the polytrauma phase, balloon deflation of REBOA Zone 1 was associated with significant hyperfibrinolysis (TEG results: REBOA Zone 1 35.50% versus control 9.5% vs. Zone 3 2.4%, P < 0.05). In the proteomics and ELISA results, REBOA Zone 1 was associated with significant decreases in coagulation factor XI and coagulation factor II, and significant elevations of active tissue plasminogen activator, plasmin-antiplasmin complex complexes, and syndecan-1 (P < 0.05). Conclusion: REBOA Zone 1 alters circulating mediators of clot formation, clot lysis, and increases plasma levels of known markers of endotheliopathy, leading to a reperfusion-induced coagulopathy compared with REBOA Zone 3 and no REBOA.

Characterization and Usefulness of Clot-Fibrinolysis Waveform Analysis in Critical Care Patients with Enhanced or Suppressed Fibrinolysis

INTRODUCTION

 Recently, clot-fibrinolysis waveform analysis (CFWA), which is a coagulation and fibrinolysis global assay based on assessing the activated partial thromboplastin time with tissue-type plasminogen activator, was developed. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of CFWA using plasma samples from patients in the critical care unit.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 The fibrinolysis times using CFWA were measured in 298 plasma samples. These samples were divided into three groups based on the reference interval (RI) of fibrinolysis time using CFWA: shortened group, less than RI; within group, within RI; prolonged group, more than RI. The coagulation and fibrinolysis markers, including D-dimer, plasmin-α2 plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC), fibrin monomer complex (FMC), plasmin-α2 plasmin inhibitor (α2-PI), plasminogen (Plg), and fibrinogen (Fbg) were analyzed and compared among the three groups.

RESULTS

 The FMC level decreased in the order of shortened, within, and prolonged groups, and the decrease was statistically significant among all three group pairs. The opposite tendency was observed for Fbg and fibrinolysis-related markers of α2-PI and Plg, and significant differences were recognized in all pair comparisons except for between within and prolonged groups in Plg. The mean values of the fibrinolysis markers D-dimer and PIC in all three groups were higher than the cut-off values, and the PIC value differed significantly between the within and prolonged groups.

CONCLUSION

 The fibrinolysis reaction was detected in all three groups, but the status differed. CFWA has the potential to reflect the fibrinolysis status in one global assay.

Experimental Models of Traumatic Injuries: Do They Capture the Coagulopathy and Underlying Endotheliopathy Induced by Human Trauma?

Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with traumatic injury. It describes the spectrum of coagulation abnormalities that occur because of the trauma itself and the body's response to the trauma. These coagulation abnormalities range from hypocoagulability and hyperfibrinolysis, resulting in potentially fatal bleeding, in the early stages of trauma to hypercoagulability, leading to widespread clot formation, in the later stages. Pathological changes in the vascular endothelium and its regulation of haemostasis, a phenomenon known as the endotheliopathy of trauma (EoT), are thought to underlie TIC. Our understanding of EoT and its contribution to TIC remains in its infancy largely due to the scarcity of experimental research. This review discusses the mechanisms employed by the vascular endothelium to regulate haemostasis and their dysregulation following traumatic injury before providing an overview of the available experimental in vitro and in vivo models of trauma and their applicability for the study of the EoT and its contribution to TIC.

Advances in the Management of Coagulopathy in Trauma: The Role of Viscoelastic Hemostatic Assays across All Phases of Trauma Care

Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death following injury. Trauma-induced coagulopathy can manifest as diverse phenotypes ranging from hypocoagulability to hypercoagulability, which can change quickly during the acute phase of trauma care. The major advances in understanding coagulation over the past 25 years have resulted from the cell-based concept, emphasizing the key role of platelets and their interaction with the damaged endothelium. Consequently, conventional plasma-based coagulation testing is not accurate in predicting bleeding and does not provide an assessment of which blood products are indicated. Viscoelastic hemostatic assays (VHA), conducted in whole blood, have emerged as a superior method to guide goal-directed transfusion. The major change in resuscitation has been the shift from unbridled crystalloid loading to judicious balanced blood product administration. Furthermore, the recognition of the rapid changes from hypocoagulability to hypercoagulability has underscored the importance of ongoing surveillance beyond emergent surgery. While the benefits of VHA testing are maximized when used as early as possible, current technology limits use in the pre-hospital setting and the time to results compromises its utility in the emergency department. Thus, most of the reported experience with VHA in trauma is in the operating room and intensive care unit, where there is compelling data to support its value. This overview will address the current and potential role of VHA in the seriously injured patient, throughout the continuum of trauma management.