Transfusion medicine
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Transfusion medicine · Jun 2014
Not only in trauma patients: hospital-wide implementation of a massive transfusion protocol.
To review outcomes of massive transfusion protocol (MTP) activation and determine the impact of MTP implementation on blood bank use. ⋯ MTP may be successfully used in trauma and non-trauma settings without significantly impacting overall blood product utilisation. Inclusion of non-trauma patients into prospective studies of resuscitation with blood products is warranted to ensure benefit in these patients.
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Transfusion medicine · Jun 2014
Changes in blood transfusion practices in the UK role 3 medical treatment facility in Afghanistan, 2008-2011.
To document blood component usage in the UK medical treatment facility, Afghanistan, over a period of 4 years; and to examine the relationship with transfusion capability, injury pattern and survival. ⋯ The number of blood components transfused to individual combat casualties increased during the 4-year period, despite no change in injury severity or injury pattern. Survival also increased. Combat casualties requiring massive transfusion have a significantly higher chance of survival than civilian patients. Survival is the product of the entire system of care. However, we propose that the changes in military transfusion practice and capability have contributed to increased combat trauma survival.
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Transfusion medicine · Dec 2013
Clinical TrialThromboelastometric detection of clotting Factor XIII deficiency in cardiac surgery patients.
In this article, we aimed to investigate plasma Factor XIII levels after extracorporeal circulation in cardiac surgery by thromboelastometric detection, as extracorporeal circulation causes various coagulation disorders due to the exposure of blood to artificial surfaces, inflammatory induction and mechanical destruction of platelets and coagulation factors, which may particularly affect factors with long half-lives, such as Factor XIII. ⋯ In summary, 'teenTEM' test does not seem to detect Factor XIII deficient patients in cardiac surgery. Furthermore, post-operative blood loss could not be predicted neither by ROTEM nor by laboratory analysis of Factor XIII. In vitro administration of Factor XIII appears to improve laboratory measures of haemostasis.
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Transfusion medicine · Aug 2013
Comparative Study Clinical TrialAnaemia and transfusion in nonagenarians undergoing emergency, non-traumatic surgery: a prospective observational study.
To characterise transfusion and determine its main predictors in nonagenarians undergoing non-elective, non-traumatic surgery. Simultaneously, we compared nonagenarians to a similar, but younger sample, as far as the transfusional policy is concerned. ⋯ The independent transfusion predictors in nonagenarians should be taken into account for cross-matching. Transfusional policy being similar between nonagenarians and third-aged patients; the differences in thresholds were due to the differences in the populations.