IMPORTANCE Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability due to trauma. Early administration of tranexamic acid may benefit patients with TBI.OBJECTIVE To determine whether tranexamic acid treatment initiated in the out-of-hospital setting within 2 hours of injury improves neurologic outcome in patients with moderate or severe TBI. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Multicenter, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial at 20 trauma centers and 39 emergency medical services agencies in the US and Canada from May 2015 to November 2017. Eligible participants (N = 1280) included out-of-hospital patients with TBI aged 15 years or older with Glasgow Coma Scale score of 12 or less and systolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher. INTERVENTIONS Three interventions were evaluated, with treatment initiated within 2 hours of TBI: out-of-hospital tranexamic acid (1 g) bolus and in-hospital tranexamic acid (1 g) 8-hour infusion (bolus maintenance group; n = 312), out-of-hospital tranexamic acid (2 g) bolus and in-hospital placebo 8-hour infusion (bolus only group; n = 345), and out-of-hospital placebo bolus and in-hospital placebo 8-hour infusion (placebo group; n = 309). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe primary outcome was favorable neurologic function at 6 months (Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended score >4 [moderate disability or good recovery]) in the combined tranexamic acid group vs the placebo group. Asymmetric significance thresholds were set at 0.1 for benefit and 0.025 for harm. There were 18 secondary end points, of which 5 are reported in this article: 28-day mortality, 6-month Disability Rating Scale score (range, 0 [no disability] to 30 [death]), progression of intracranial hemorrhage, incidence of seizures, and incidence of thromboembolic events. RESULTS Among 1063 participants, a study drug was not administered to 96 randomized participants and 1 participant was excluded, resulting in 966 participants in the analysis population (mean age, 42 years; 255 [74%] male participants; mean Glasgow Coma Scale score, 8). Of these participants, 819 (84.8%) were available for primary outcome analysis at 6-month followup. The primary outcome occurred in 65% of patients in the tranexamic acid groups vs 62% in the placebo group (difference, 3.5%; [90% 1-sided confidence limit for benefit, −0.9%]; P = .16; [97.5% 1-sided confidence limit for harm, 10.2%]; P = .84). There was no statistically significant difference in 28-day mortality between the tranexamic acid groups vs the placebo group (14% vs 17%; difference, −2.9% [95% CI, −7.9% to 2.1%]; P = .26), 6-month Disability Rating Scale score (6.8 vs 7.6; difference, −0.9 [95% CI, −2.5 to 0.7]; P = .29), or progression of intracranial hemorrhage (16% vs 20%; difference, −5.4% [95% CI, −12.8% to 2.1%]; P = .16).CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among patients with moderate to severe TBI, out-of-hospital tranexamic acid administration within 2 hours of injury compared with placebo did not significantly improve 6-month neurologic outcome as measured by the Glasgow Ou...
RAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI) IS the leading cause of death following blunt trauma, and survivors often sustain severe disability. TBI is responsible for the greatest number of potential years of life lost from any cause and carries the highest burden on loss of quality-adjusted life-years among survivors. 1 The primary injury to the brain occurs at the time of impact; however, subsequent compromise of cerebral perfusion can lead to an ischemic insult that extends the primary injury, creating a secondary brain injury. 2 Current therapy following severe TBI is focused on minimizing secondary injury by supporting systemic perfusion and reducing intracranial pressure Author Affiliations are listed at the end of this article.
BACKGROUND Optimal resuscitation of hypotensive trauma patients has not been defined. This trial was performed to assess the feasibility and safety of controlled resuscitation (CR) versus standard resuscitation (SR) in hypotensive trauma patients. METHODS Patients were enrolled and randomized in the out-of-hospital setting. 19 EMS systems in the Resuscitation Outcome Consortium participated. Eligible patients had an out-of-hospital systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≤ 90 mmHg. CR patients received 250 cc of fluid if they had no radial pulse or a SBP < 70 mmHg and additional 250 cc boluses to maintain a radial pulse or a SBP ≥ 70 mmHg. SR group patients received 2 liters initially and additional fluid as needed to maintain a SBP ≥ 110 mmHg. The crystalloid protocol was maintained until hemorrhage control or 2 hours after hospital arrival. RESULTS 192 patients were randomized (97 CR and 95 SR). The CR and SR groups were similar at baseline. Average crystalloid volume administered during the study period was 1.0 liter (SD 1.5) in the CR group and 2.0 liters (SD 1.4) in the SR group, a difference of 1.0 liter (95% CI: 0.6 to 1.4). ICU-free days, ventilator-free days, renal injury and renal failure did not differ between groups. At 24 hours after admission, there were 5 deaths (5%) in the CR group and 14 (15%) in the SR group (adjusted odds ratio 0.39 [95% CI: 0.12, 1.26]). Among patients with blunt trauma, 24-hour mortality was 3% (CR) and 18% (SR) with an adjusted OR of 0.17 (0.03, 0.92). There was no difference among patients with penetrating trauma: 9% vs 9%, adjusted OR 1.93 (0.19, 19.17). CONCLUSION Controlled resuscitation is achievable in out-of-hospital and hospital settings and may offer an early survival advantage in blunt trauma. A large-scale, Phase III trial to examine its effects on survival and other clinical outcomes is warranted.
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