• Herbert Schöchl, Alexander Posch, Alexander Hanke, Wolfgang Voelckel, and Cristina Solomon.
• AUVA Research Centre for Traumatology, Vienna, Austria. Herbert.Schoechl@trauma.lbg.ac.at
• Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest. 2010 Oct 1;70(6):453-7.

IntroductionWe report on a severely injured trauma patient who suffered a high velocity motorcycle accident. The patient was receiving dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel.Methods And ResultsThromboelastometry (ROTEM(®)) on admission revealed low maximum clot firmness (MCF) in the FIBTEM assay, strongly indicating impaired fibrin polymerization. Inhibition of platelet activity also was confirmed. Massive intra-abdominal bleeding caused by a liver rupture required immediate laparotomy. Haemostasis during emergency surgery was achieved through topical surgical measures and intravenous fibrinogen concentrate administration (three doses of 4 g), guided by ROTEM test results only. As platelet count decreased to 28 × 10(9) L(-1), 6 h after admission to the intensive care unit, the patient received two units of platelet concentrate. No further haemostatic therapy was necessary during the next 48 h.ConclusionThis case shows the potential effectiveness of fibrinogen concentrate in improving haemostasis in trauma patients receiving antiplatelet therapy.

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