S Afr J Surg
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Case Reports
A case of Endovascular Treatment of Blunt Aortic Bifurcation Transection using peripheral stentgraft.
We present a case of endovascular management of aortic transection at the aortic bifurcation in a polytrauma patient.
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Observational Study
Time since injury is the major factor in preventing tranexamic acid use in the trauma setting: An observational cohort study from a major trauma centre in a middle-income country.
Haemorrhage is responsible for about a third of in-hospital trauma deaths. The CRASH-2 trial demonstrated that early administration of tranexamic acid, ideally within 3 hours, can reduce mortality from trauma-associated bleeding by up to 32%. ⋯ The majority (74%) of bleeding trauma patients did not present within the timeframe allowed for safe administration of tranexamic therapy. Of those who did, most would have benefited from even earlier commencement of therapy. This raises the possibility that tranexamic acid may be more effective on a population basis if incorporated into prehospital rather than in-hospital protocols; future studies should explore the benefits and risks of this approach.