Safety of rFVIIa in hemodynamically unstable polytrauma patients with traumatic brain injury: post hoc analysis of 30 patients from a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial

Advances in hemorrhage control resuscitation

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Despite significant advances in trauma management over the last twenty years, uncontrolled hemorrhage remains the leading cause of preventable death in trauma. We review recent changes affecting hemorrhage control resuscitation.

RECENT FINDINGS

Early blood product usage has become well established as a standard of care in trauma hemorrhage control. To enable this, low titer group A liquid plasma and group O whole blood are increasingly utilized. Single donor apheresis platelets have now replaced pooled donor platelets in the USA and are often pathogen reduced, which has implications for trauma resuscitation. Further work is examining timing and dosing of tranexamic acid and the debate in factor concentrate usage in trauma induced coagulopathy continues to evolve. The 'Stop the bleed' campaign has highlighted how important the use of hemostatic dressings are in hemorrhage control, as too is the expanded use of endovascular aortic occlusion. We highlight the ongoing research into desmopressin use and the undetermined significance of ionized calcium levels in trauma. Finally, we discuss our own hospital experience with coagulation testing and the paucity of evidence of improved outcomes with viscoelastic testing.

SUMMARY

Improving trauma coagulopathy diagnostics and hemorrhage control are vital if we are to decrease the mortality associated with trauma.

Recent advances in use of fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate, immunoglobulins, and clotting factors for transfusion support in patients with hematologic disease

Hematologic diseases include a broad range of acquired and congenital disorders, many of which affect plasma proteins that control hemostasis and immune responses. Therapeutic interventions for these disorders include transfusion of plasma, cryoprecipitate, immunoglobulins, or convalescent plasma-containing therapeutic antibodies from patients recovering from infectious diseases, as well as concentrated pro- or anticoagulant factors. This review will focus on recent advances in the uses of plasma and its derivatives for patients with acquired and congenital hematologic disorders.

Factor VIIa administration in traumatic brain injury: an AAST-MITC propensity score analysis

BACKGROUND

Recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) has been used off-label as an adjunct in the reversal of warfarin therapy and management of hemorrhage after trauma. Only a handful of these reports are rigorous studies, from which results regarding safety and effectiveness have been mixed. There remains no clear consensus as to the role of rFVIIa in traumatic brain injury (TBI).

METHODS

Eleven level 1 trauma centers provided clinical data and head CT scans of patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of ≤13 and radiographic evidence of TBI. A propensity score (PS) to receive rFVIIa in those surviving ≥2 days was calculated for each patient based on patient demographics, comorbidities, physiology, Injury Severity Score, admission GCS score, and treatment center. Patients receiving rFVIIa within 24 hours of admission were matched to patients who did not receive rFVIIa for outcomes assessment. Subgroup analysis evaluated patients with primary head injury with PS matching.

RESULTS

There were 4284 patient observations; 129 received rFVIIa. Groups were comparable after matching. No differences in mortality or morbidity were found. Improvement in GCS score from admission to discharge was less among those receiving rFVIIa (5.5 vs. 2.4; P value 0.001); however, there was no difference in average GCS score at discharge. No significant differences in outcomes were identified in patients with isolated TBI receiving rFVIIa.

DISCUSSION

rFVIIa in early management of TBI is not associated with a decreased risk of mortality or morbidity, and may negatively impact recovery and functional status at discharge in the severely injured patient with polytrauma.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III.

STUDY TYPE

Therapeutic/care management.

Management of neurologic complications of coagulopathies

Coagulopathy is common in intensive care units (ICUs). Many physiologic derangements lead to dysfunctional hemostasis; these may be either congenital or acquired. The most devastating outcome of coagulopathy in the critically ill is major bleeding, defined by transfusion requirement, hemodynamic instability, or intracranial hemorrhage. ICU coagulopathy often poses complex management dilemmas, as bleeding risk must be tempered with thrombotic potential. Coagulopathy associated with intracranial hemorrhage bears directly on prognosis and outcome. There is a paucity of high-quality evidence for the management of coagulopathies in neurocritical care; however, data derived from studies of patients with intraparenchymal hemorrhage may inform treatment decisions. Coagulopathy is often broadly defined as any derangement of hemostasis resulting in either excessive bleeding or clotting, although most typically it is defined as impaired clot formation. Abnormalities in coagulation testing without overt clinical bleeding may also be considered evidence of coagulopathy. This chapter will focus on acquired conditions, such as organ failure, pharmacologic therapies, and platelet dysfunction that are associated with defective clot formation and result in, or exacerbate, intracranial hemorrhage, specifically spontaneous intraparenchymal hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Polytrauma in Theaters of Combat: The Case for Neurotrauma Resuscitation?

Polytrauma associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a concurrent injury to the brain and one or more body areas or organ systems that results in physical, cognitive, and psychosocial impairments. Consequently, polytrauma accompanied by TBI presents a unique challenge for emergency medicine, in particular, to those associated with the austere environments encountered in military theaters of operation and the logistics of en-route care. Here, we attempt to put needed focus on this medical emergency, specifically addressing the problem of an exsanguinating polytrauma requiring fluid resuscitation complicated by TBI. Critical questions to consider are the following: (1) What is the optimal resuscitation fluid for these patients? (2) In defining the resuscitation fluid, what considerations must be given with regard to the very specific logistics of military operations? and (3) Can treatment of the brain injury be initiated in parallel with resuscitation practices. Recognizing the immense clinical and experimental complexity of this problem, our goal was to encourage research that embraces with high-fidelity 'combined' animal models of polytrauma and TBI with an objective toward elucidating safe and effective neurotherapeutic resuscitation protocols.

WITHDRAWN: Haemostatic drugs for traumatic brain injury

May 2015: The authors have asked for this review to be withdrawn. The information contained in this review has been included in the review 'Antifibrinolytic drugs for acute traumatic injury'.

The editorial group responsible for this previously published document have withdrawn it from publication.

Imaging of the brain in polytraumatized patients comparing 64-row spiral CT with incremental (sequential) CT

INTRODUCTION

Up to now, due to a better image quality, for brain imaging the substantially slower sequential examination mode has been preferred during CT in polytraumatized patients. We aimed to re-evaluate modern ultrafast 64-row spiral CT regarding image quality in brain imaging of polytraumatized patients.

METHODS

In 30 polytraumatized patients, both 64-row spiral and sequential CT of the brain were performed within 24h. Retrospectively, two radiologists subjectively evaluated the delineation of the internal capsule, the pons, the medial rectus muscle of the orbita, the differentiation of grey/white matter, and the extent of artifacts at the inner skull. Image noise was also evaluated objectively. Statistics were performed using Cohen's kappa and a two-sided t-test.

RESULTS

Perfect or clear agreements were noted regarding the delineation of the inner skull, the medial rectus muscle, the internal capsule, and grey/white matter differentiation. Due to beam hardening artifacts at the level of the pons, no agreement and no superiority of one of the CT-methods was noted. No differences were obtained regarding the objective evaluation of image noise.

DISCUSSION

Image quality is generally equivalent. Since 64-row spiral CT can substantially save examination time we recommend to perform a spiral examination of the brain in polytraumatized patients.

Recombinant factor VIIa and the patient with neurologic bleeding: separating fact from fiction

Notwithstanding its limited Food and Drug Administration-approved indications, rFVIIa has rapidly gained widespread use for the treatment of a variety of hemorrhagic conditions, including intracranial bleeding from spontaneous, traumatic, surgical, and coagulopathic causes. Although it appears that the drug only minimally increases the risk of thromboembolic events, its efficacy remains in question. The idea of finding a universal cure for hemorrhage in a medication bottle remains highly appealing, but enthusiasm for the concept is no replacement for evidence. Neuroscience nurses, who are the interface between patients and rFVIIa, need to balance hope and hype until the facts are all in.

Haemostatic drugs for traumatic brain injury

BACKGROUND

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability. Intracranial bleeding is a common complication of TBI, and intracranial bleeding can develop or worsen after hospital admission. Haemostatic drugs may reduce the occurrence or size of intracranial bleeds and consequently lower the morbidity and mortality associated with TBI.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of haemostatic drugs on mortality, disability and thrombotic complications in patients with traumatic brain injury.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched the electronic databases: Cochrane Injuries Group Specialised Register (3 February 2009), CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 1), MEDLINE (1950 to Week 3 2009), PubMed (searched 3 February 2009 (last 180 days)), EMBASE (1980 to Week 4 2009), CINAHL (1982 to January 2009), ISI Web of Science: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) (1970 to January 2009), ISI Web of Science: Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science (CPCI-S) (1990 to January 2009).

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included published and unpublished randomised controlled trials comparing haemostatic drugs (antifibrinolytics: aprotinin, tranexamic acid (TXA), aminocaproic acid or recombined activated factor VIIa (rFVIIa)) with placebo, no treatment, or other treatment in patients with acute traumatic brain injury.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently examined all electronic records, and extracted the data. We judged that there was clinical heterogeneity between trials so we did not attempt to pool the results of the included trials. The results are reported separately.

MAIN RESULTS

We included two trials. One was a post-hoc analysis of 30 TBI patients from a randomised controlled trial of rFVIIa in blunt trauma patients. The risk ratio for mortality at 30 days was 0.64 (95% CI 0.25 to 1.63) for rFVIIa compared to placebo. This result should be considered with caution as the subgroup analysis was not pre-specified for the trial. The other trial evaluated the effect of rFVIIa in 97 TBI patients with evidence of intracerebral bleeding in a computed tomography (CT) scan. The corresponding risk ratio for mortality at the last follow up was 1.08 (95% CI 0.44 to 2.68). The quality of the reporting of both trials was poor so it was difficult to assess the risk of bias.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is no reliable evidence from randomised controlled trials to support the effectiveness of haemostatic drugs in reducing mortality or disability in patients with TBI. New randomised controlled trials assessing the effects of haemostatic drugs in TBI patients should be conducted. These trials should be large enough to detect clinically plausible treatment effects.

The role of recombinant-activated factor VII in bleeding trauma patients

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Exsanguinating hemorrhage and postshock organ failure account for 35-40% of deaths from trauma, and there is an increasing recognition of the importance of coagulopathy in the evolution of this disease.

RECENT FINDINGS

Since 1999, case reports, small series, retrospective studies and a few controlled trials have reported the use of recombinant-activated factor VII (rFVIIa) as an adjunct for reversal of coagulopathy in trauma patients, and numerous other publications have examined the use of rFVIIa in related conditions such as traumatic brain injury, hemorrhagic stroke and uncontrolled surgical bleeding.

SUMMARY

We present a brief discussion of the mechanism of action of rFVIIa and its role in facilitating hemostasis and a review of the recent medical literature on the use of rFVIIa in trauma patients, including current guidelines and controversies.

[Transfusion in neurosurgery]

In neurosurgery, the question of the optimal transfusion "trigger" remains a controversial matter. Regarding the brain, the current data are still incomplete, justifying the continuation of experimental and clinical studies. The existing expert advices are based on these rather poor data and would probably evolve after the completion of clinical studies in progress. In spine surgery, the situation is simpler and the transfusional stakes are quite similar to those of orthopedics and traumatology. With regard to hemostasis, standardized recommendations exist depending on the laboratory test results or the anticoagulant treatments of the patient.

Administration off label of recombinant factor-VIIa (rFVIIa) to patients with blunt or penetrating brain injury without coagulopathy

Traumatic brain contusions may increase in size over time or may develop at a delay after injury. This may lead to neurological deterioration, long term morbidity or even death. Coagulation disorders after injury can contribute to progression of haemorrhage. Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) was used in 12 patients with a severe head injury who had no systemic coagulopathy but who were considered to be at risk of progression of their intracranial lesion. Twelve consecutive patients suffering from life-threatening acute head injuries from blunt (3 cases) and penetrating mechanisms were given with rFVIIa, either to prevent the expected development of brain contusion or to assist in bleeding control during surgery. In 11 patients, rFVIIa was given by the attending neurosurgeon. Two of the patients died of their severe penetrating injuries one of whom had severe vasospasm 2 days after administration of rFVIIa. The other 11 patients did not appear to suffer any treatment-related adverse effects. When the drug was given prophylactically to prevent brain resection (6 cases) or to limit the need for widening resection (5 cases), marked control was achieved in seven cases, and a lesser effect was observed in the other 4 cases. We conclude that, in a small and highly individually selected series of patients with severe head injury, the administration of rFVIIa did not lead to adverse effects. Although the majority of patients were considered to be at high risk of progression of their lesions, this occurred in only one. The early use of rFVIIa in head injured patients without systemic coagulopathy may reduce the occurrence of enlargement of contusions, the requirement of further operation, and adverse outcome. Prospective randomised controlled studies are required to investigate this.

Factor VII and the brain: time to get this research done!

Traumatic brain injury is the leading killer after trauma, in part because of coagulopathy. Factor VIIa may be a useful therapy in this setting, depending on the relative risk for thromboembolic complications. Kluger and coworkers recently conducted a retrospective review of patients with traumatic brain injury from a previous factor VIIa and trauma trial. It documents an encouragingly low rate of complications, and should provide a strong incentive to conduct a prospective study of factor VIIa in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.