1. Fluids and blood products in trauma
Acute Care Day
Scenario based teaching

2. Importance
The two leading causes of death in trauma are neurological injury and blood loss
There is much current research into optimum fluid therapies in trauma
There are some differences to major haemorrhage from other sites

3. Reasons for debate – competing priorities
Maintain perfusion
Maintain coagulation
Good tissue perfusion is dependent upon a good cardiac output
Cardiac output is augmented by high filling pressures – need blood volume
A decent blood pressure is needed to overcome tissue resistance
Solution: give lots of fluids and blood
High BP can dislodge forming clots, leading to continued clotting factor consumption
IV fluids and red-cells dilute clotting factors
Fluids can cool a patient – clotting factors work less well
Solution: don’t give any fluid or blood!

4. What’s the solution?
Some middle ground is needed.
What is worse – hypoperfusion or coagulopathy?

5. How bad is hypo-perfusion
Hypo-perfusion leading to tissue ischaemia can impair the function of all organs
Tissues may start to respire anaerobically, producing lactic acid.
Acidosis adversely affects enzymatic action – including the clotting cascade
However, the effects of short periods of relative hypo-perfusion are usually fairly rapidly correctable

6. How bad is coagulopathy?
Trauma patients can have multiple sites of blood loss that are not immediately controllable – ie. may need surgery or interventional radiology to cease bleeding.
If coagulopathy develops, bleeding is exacerbated.
This then worsens any hypoperfusion  anaerobic respiration and acidosis.
You need to play “catch-up” – transfusing blood products which can cool the patient

7. The Lethal Triad
Coagulopathy
Acidosis
Cold

8. What’s the solution then?
A degree of hypo-perfusion is tolerated in the acute setting, until haemorrhage control has been achieved.
In practice, this means a conscious patient with a palpable radial pulse and a systolic blood pressure of at least 80mmHg
If these criteria are not met, 250ml boluses of fluids (eg. Hartmanns) can be given to boost blood pressure
Coagulopathy should be aggressively avoided.

9. When should you start giving blood?
No set rule – but in general you should try and use as little crystalloid as possible – certainly give blood if approaching 1 litre of crystalloids
Crystalloid versus colloid debate: currently raging, but there appears to be minimal if any benefit in giving colloids
If a trauma patient needs volume replacement, try to make as much of it blood as possible.

10. What blood products are there?
Fresh Frozen Plasma
Whole Blood
Cryoprecipitate
Platelets

11. Red blood cells
Three options:
O negative. Available immediately in A&E or blood bank.
Group specific. Takes about 15 minutes from receipt of sample in lab.
Fully cross-matched. Takes about 40 minutes from receipt of sample in lab.

12. Red blood cells
Oxygen carrying component, so most important aspect of blood.
However, the bags contain no clotting factors or platelets.
These factors must also be replaced.

13. Fresh Frozen Plasma
This contains all clotting factors
Not usually administered until the patient has received at least 4 units of red cells

14. Platelets and cryoprecipitate
Cryoprecipitate – contains a few clotting factors, but main component is fibrinogen
These each contain multiple units within one bag. Bags of these are not usually given until about 8 units of red cells have been transfused
Liaise with haematology regarding ongoing blood product management.

15. Is this going to change??
Evidence from the military supports a more liberal usage of FFP, platelets and cryoprecipitate.
Suggest using 1 unit of FFP with every 1 or 2 units of red cells.
This is not current practice in UK hospitals….but things may change!

16. Clotting augmentation
Fibrinolysis is the process of clot lysis
Tranexamic acid is an anti-fibrinolytic: it inhibits clot breakdown
It is cheap and very safe
Good evidence that administering this to bleeding trauma patients reduces their mortality. Give this with your first unit of blood.

17. Clotting optimisation
The clotting cascade is a series of enzymes
They work best at normal body temperature and pH
Critically important to maintain these – warm all blood products, keep patient covered.
Clotting factors also need calcium – levels can drop in major haemorrhage, so top up if necessary

18. What happens once bleeding has stopped?
Definitive control of bleeding is usually surgical.
Once achieved, priority shifts from coagulation maintenance to perfusion maintenance
Aim for higher blood pressure, be more liberal with administration of blood products. May also give some IV fluids.

19. Summary
Blood and fluid therapy in trauma is not straight-forward
Perfusion can be relatively sacrificed to maintain coagulation
Try to minimise use of crystalloids or colloids – especially if large blood loss is anticipated
Avoid development of the lethal triad: cold, acidosis and coagulopathy