Podcasts about PRBC

In this episode of EMS One-Stop, host Rob Lawrence dives into the trending topic of pre-hospital blood administration with guests from New Orleans EMS: Tom Dransfield, the quality assurance and safety officer, and Dr. David Rayburn, deputy medical director. This in-depth discussion explores the development and execution of the New Orleans EMS blood program, focusing on packed red blood cells (PRBC) and the challenges, successes and ongoing research surrounding cold blood administration in trauma and medical emergencies. New Orleans EMS is leading the charge in pushing the boundaries of pre-hospital blood, providing innovative solutions for penetrating trauma, GI bleeds and other critical cases. Dransfield and Dr. Rayburn share the journey of New Orleans EMS in implementing the program, including their logistics, lessons learned and the vital impact of their interventions on patient outcomes. The episode emphasizes the collaboration between EMS and trauma centers as well as blood suppliers to reduce mortality rates, while also tackling key questions, such as the supply chain, funding and future research. Memorable quotes "For every minute we delay blood administration, there's an 11% increase in mortality – this isn't just a theory; it's life and death." — Dr. David Rayburn "We were topping the charts in the wrong categories – violence and stuff like that. So, our medics were frustrated with the old scoop and run. We're not just scooping and running anymore. We're providing definitive care." — Tom Dransfield "We're seeing no change in temperature for patients receiving two units of cold PRBCs in the pre-hospital environment, and that's groundbreaking." — Dr. David Rayburn "If we're doing blood, we're literally saving lives. But without reimbursement, it's an uphill battle." — Rob Lawrence "Our paramedics are pushing the envelope – it's no longer just about trauma; we're now treating GI bleeds, OB cases and renal patients with blood administration." — Dr. David Rayburn Find more episodes: https://www.ems1.com/ems-one-stop

Dr. Moises Auron discusses about his high value approach to transfusion of blood products: PRBC, FFP, and Platelets.

PRBC's or packed red blood cells are one of the most common blood products administered in critical care. The following episode covers the importance of red blood cells, understanding hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, how lab levels are attained, some of the common reasons to transfuse, transfusion basics, and the critical transfusion associated complications. 

Join us in this episode, where we discuss the pharmacology of IV albumin, PRBC, along with the process of blood grouping and cross-matching. 

Have you ever thought about where the 1g/dL hemoglobin appropriate bump after 1 unit of pRBC transfusion? How does the patient's intravascular volume affect this? What rise in hemoglobin should you expect? What factors can impact this?Show notes, Transcript and References:  https://www.coreimpodcast.com/2022/01/05/1-to-1-prbc-bump…-the-gap-segment/Time stamps01:22 Unpacking the question 01:55 The math 04:32 Functional hemoglobin08:50 Donor and Patient 11:18 Scenarios12:58 Summary14:34 Clarification Tags: IM Core, CoreIM, hemoglobin, intravascular volume, irradiation, donation

I sat down with Cam Elgie (PGY-1, NOSM) for a fantastic conversation that covers: - The immense shift in responsibility upon starting residency in the OR and ward (MS4: help out, R1: take ownership) - The importance of humanizing patients when providing care - Key advice for staying well during call shifts (DRINK WATER!) If you're going to listen to any episode, this is the one. High yield, high energy, and clearly listed responsibilities make this a must-listen for incoming R1s. Timestamps: 0:00 to 3:00 - Unique highlights of NOSM (small program, excellent nature, early responsibility) 3:00 to 5:15 - Learning how to be a doctor (being responsible for patient safety, taking ownership of patients) 5:15 to 6:15 - Ward management (Pain, Medications, Disposition, Followup) 6:15 to 8:00 - Daily responsibilities (Rounding, Prioritizing, Organizing Dispo/FU, Preventing Complications), Keep the service moving 8:00 to 8:30 - Preoperative optimization (ABx, pRBCs, NPO, Meds), Follow patients postop 8:30 to 9:30 - Clinic (Injections, Autonomy, Documentation) 9:30 to 10:30 - Pre-OR Checklists (NPO, Meds, ABx, ACO, Cardiac risk, pRBC), Growth from Assisting to Ownership 10:30 to 12:15 - OR Mentality (Planning, Equipment, Table, Positioning, Tourniquet, Meds, TXA, Ancef, Allergies, Incision, Approach), Specifics (Incision, Retraction, Layers), Postop (Splint, Followup, Recovery) 12:15 to 14:25 - Time Management (Juggling pages, consults, cases, imaging on OR days), Teeing things up (Prioritize, Call Ahead) 14:25 to 15:00 - Having the confidence to attempt procedures, reductions, injections (Safely!) 15:00 to 16:30 - The difference between a poor resident and a great resident, treating patients like humans 16:30 to 17:45 - OR Advice: Mindful watching (Position, Body, Needle, Bite Size), Volume & Repetition 17:45 to 20:00 - Overcoming setbacks: feeling amateurish, difficulty seeing planes, having to "know everything", being handed the knife 20:00 to 21:15 - Cam's Golden Rule for Staying Well On Call!

Episode 12: Fluids and Transfusions | In this episode we will discuss crystalloid and colloid fluids, how to calculate maintenance fluid and fluid deficits, how to correct fluid deficits, and the various blood products (i.e. PRBC, platelets, FFP, cryoprecipitate). We will also discuss how to calculate blood loss and method of replacing the blood loss. | Show notes: https://tinyurl.com/y3nxb272 |---Inspirational Corporate by MaxKoMusic | https://maxkomusic.com/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unportedhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_USSound effects from https://www.free-stock-music.com

Show Notes Jeff: Welcome back to EMplify the podcast corollary to EB Medicine’s Emergency medicine Practice. I’m Jeff Nusbaum and I’m back with Nachi Gupta. This month, we are tackling a topic for which the literature continues to rapidly change - we’re talking about the ED management of patients taking direct oral anticoagulants or DOACs, previously called novel oral anticoagulants or NOACs. Nachi: Specifically, we’ll be focusing on the use of DOACs for the indications of stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation and the treatment and prevention of recurrent venous thromboembolisms. Jeff: This month’s article was authored by Dr. Patrick Maher and Dr. Emily Taub of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and it was peer reviewed by Dr. Dowin Boatright from Yale, Dr. Natalie Kreitzer from the University of Cincinnati, and Dr. Isaac Tawil from the University of New Mexico. Nachi: In their quest to update the last Emergency Medicine Practice issue on this topic which was published in 2013, they reviewed over 200 articles from 2000 to present in addition to 5 systematic reviews in the cochrane database, as well as guidelines from the American Heart Association, European society of cardiology, and the american college of cardiology. Jeff: Thanks to a strong literature base, Dr’s Maher and Taub found good quality evidence regarding safety and efficacy of the DOACs in relation to warfarin and the heparin-based anticoagulants. Nachi: But do note that the literature directly comparing the DOACs is far more limited and mostly of poor quality. Show More v Jeff: Fair enough, we’ll take what we can get. Nachi: Well, I’m sure more of those studies are still coming. Jeff: Agree. Let’s get started with some basics. Not surprisingly, DOACs now account for a similar proportion of office visits for anticoagulant use as warfarin. Nachi: With huge benefits including reduced need for monitoring and a potential for reduced bleeding complications, this certainly isn’t surprising. Jeff: Though those benefits are not without challenges - most notably the lack of an effective reversal agent and the risk of unintentional overdose in patients with altered drug metabolism. Nachi: Like all things in medicine, it’s about balancing and finding an acceptable risk/benefit profile. Jeff: True. Let’s talk pathophysiology for a minute - the control of coagulation in the human body is a balance between hemorrhage and thrombosis, mediated by an extensive number of procoagulant and anticoagulant proteins. Nachi: Before the development of the DOACs, vitamin K antagonists controlled the brunt of the market. As their name suggests, they work by inhibiting the action of vitamin K, and thus reducing the production of clotting factors 2, 7, 9, and 10, and the anticoagulant proteins C and S. Jeff: Unfortunately, these agents have a narrow therapeutic window and many drug-drug interactions, and they require frequent monitoring - making them less desirable to many. Nachi: However, in 2010, the FDA approved the first DOAC, a real game-changer. The DOACs currently on the market work by one of two mechanisms - direct thrombin inhibition or factor Xa inhibition. Jeff: DOACs are currently approved for stroke prevention in nonvalvular afib, treatment of VTE, VTE prophylaxis, and reduction of major cardiovascular events in stable cardiovascular disease. Studies are underway to test their safety and efficacy in arterial and venous thromboembolism, prevention of embolic stroke in afib, ACS, cancer-associated thrombosis, upper extremity DVT, and mesenteric thrombosis. Nachi: Direct thrombin inhibitors like Dabigatran, tradename Pradaxa, was the first FDA approved DOAC. It works by directly inhibiting thrombin, or factor IIa, which is a serine protease that converts soluble fibrinogen into fibrin for clot formation. Jeff: Dabigatran comes in doses of 75 and 150 mg. The dose depends on your renal function, and, with a half-life of 12-15 hours, is taken twice daily. Note the drastically reduced half-life as compared to warfarin, which has a half-life of up to 60 hours. Nachi: The RE-LY trial for afib found that taking 150 mg of Dabigatran BID had a lower rate of stroke and systemic embolism than warfarin with a similar rate of major hemorrhage. Dabigatran also had lower rates of fatal and traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage than warfarin. Jeff: A separate RCT found similar efficacy in treating acute VTE and preventing recurrence compared with warfarin, with reduced rates of hemorrhage! Nachi: Less monitoring, less hemorrhage, similar efficacy, I’m sold!!! Jeff: Slow down, there’s lots of other great agents out there, let’s get through them all first... Nachi: Ok, so next up we have the Factor Xa inhibitors, Rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban, and betrixaban.As the name suggests, these medications work by directly inhibiting the clotting of factor Xa, which works in the clotting cascade to convert prothrombin to thrombin. Jeff: Rivaroxaban, trade name Xarelto, the second FDA approved DOAC, is used for stroke prevention in those with nonvalvular afib and VTE treatment. After taking 15 mg BID for the first 21 days, rivaroxaban is typically dosed at 20 mg daily with adjustments for reduced renal function. Nachi: The Rocket AF trial found that rivaroxaban is noninferior to warfarin for stroke and systemic embolism prevention without a significant difference in risk of major bleeding. Interestingly, GI bleeding may be higher in the rivaroxaban group, though the overall incidence was very low in both groups at about 0.4% of patients per year. Jeff: In the Einstein trial, patients with VTE were randomized to rivaroxaban or standard therapy. In the end, they reported similar rates of recurrence and bleeding outcomes for acute treatment. Continuing therapy beyond the acute period resulted in similar rates of VTE recurrence and bleeding episodes to treatment with aspirin alone. Nachi: Next we have apixaban, tradename Eliquis. Apixaban is approved for afib and the treatment of venous thromboembolism. It’s typically dosed as 10 mg BID for 7 days followed by 5 mg BID with dose reductions for the elderly and those with renal failure. Jeff: In the Aristotle trial, when compared to warfarin, apixaban was superior in preventing stroke and systemic embolism with lower mortality and bleeding. Rates of major hemorrhage-related mortality were also nearly cut in half at 30 days when compared to warfarin. Nachi: For the treatment of venous thromboembolism, the literature shows that apixaban has a similar efficacy to warfarin in preventing recurrence with less bleeding complications. Jeff: Unfortunately, with polypharmacy, there is increased risk of thromboembolic and hemorrhage risks, but this risk is similar to what is seen with warfarin. Nachi: And as compared to low molecular weight heparin, apixaban had higher bleeding rates without reducing venous thromboembolism events when used for thromboprophylaxis. It’s also been studied in acute ACS, with increased bleeding and no decrease in ischemic events. Jeff: Edoxaban is up next, approved by the FDA in 2015 for similar indications as the other Factor Xa inhibitors. It’s recommended that edoxaban be given parenterally for 5-10 days prior to starting oral treatment for VTE, which is actually similar to dabigatran. It has similar levels of VTE recurrence with fewer major bleeding episodes compared to warfarin. It has also been used with similar effects and less major bleeding for stroke prevention in afib. In the setting of cancer related DVTs specifically, as compared to low molecular weight heparin, one RCT showed lower rates of VTE but higher rates of major bleeding when compared to dalteparin. Nachi: Next we have Betrixaban, the latest Factor Xa inhibitor to be approved, back in 2017. Because it’s utility is limited to venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in mostly medically ill inpatients, it’s unlikely to be encountered by emergency physicians very frequently. Jeff: As a one sentence FYI though - note that in recent trials, betrixaban reduced the rate of VTE with equivalent rates of bleeding and reduced the rate of stroke with an increased rate of major and clinically relevant non-major bleeding as compared to enoxaparin. Nachi: Well that was a ton of information and background on the DOACs. Let’s move on to your favorite section - prehospital medicine. Jeff: Not a ton to add here this month. Perhaps, most importantly, prehospital providers should specifically ask about DOAC usage, especially in trauma, given increased rates of complications and potential need for surgery. This can help with destination selection when relevant. Interestingly, one retrospective study found limited agreement between EMS records and hospital documentation on current DOAC usage. Nachi: Extremely important to identify DOAC use early. Once the patient arrives in the ED, you can begin your focused history and physical. Make sure to get the name, dose, and time of last administration of any DOAC. Pay particular attention to the med list and the presence of CKD which could point to altered DOAC metabolism. Jeff: In terms of the physical and initial work up - let the sites of bleeding or potential sites of bleeding guide your work up. And don’t forget about the rectal exam, which potentially has some added value here - since DOACs increase the risk of GI bleeding. Nachi: Pretty straight forward history and physical, let’s talk diagnostic studies. Jeff: First up is CT. There are no clear cut guidelines here, so Drs. Maher and Taub had to rely on observational studies and expert opinion. Remember, most standard guidelines and tools, like the canadian and nexus criteria, are less accurate in anticoagulated patients, so they shouldn’t be applied. Instead, most studies recommend a low threshold for head imaging, even with minor trauma, in the setting of DOAC use. Nachi: That is so important that it’s worth repeating. Definitely have a low threshold to CT the head for even minor head trauma patients on DOACs. Basically, if you’re on anticoagulation, and you made it to the ED for anything remotely related to your head, you probably win a spin. Jeff: I suspect you are not alone with that stance... There is, however, much more debate about the utility of follow up imaging and admission after a NEGATIVE scan. Nachi: Wait, is that a thing I should routinely be doing? Jeff: Well there’s not great data here, but in one observational study of 1180 patients on either antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy, a half a percent of them had positive findings 12 hours later, and importantly none required surgical intervention. Nachi: Certainly reassuring. And for those with positive initial imaging, the authors recommend repeat imaging within 4-6 hours in consultation with neurosurgical services or even earlier in cases of unexpected clinical decline. Jeff: Interestingly, though only a small retrospective study of 156 patients, one study found markedly reduced mortality, 4.9% vs 20.8% in those on DOACs vs warfarin with traumatic intracranial hemorrhage. Nachi: Hmm that actually surprises me a bit with the ease of reversibility of warfarin. Jeff: And we’ll get to that in a few minutes. But next we should talk about ultrasound. As always with trauma, guidelines recommend a FAST exam in the setting of blunt abdominal trauma. The only thing to be aware of here is that you should have an increased index of suspicion for bleeding, especially in hidden sites like the retroperitoneum. Nachi: And just as with traumatic head bleeds, a small observational study of those with blunt abdominal trauma found 8% vs 30% mortality for those on DOACs vs warfarin, respectively. Jeff: That is simply shocking! Let’s also talk lab studies. Hemoglobin and platelet counts should be obtained as part of the standard trauma work up. Assessing renal function via creatinine is also important, especially for those on agents which are renally excreted. Nachi: Though you can, in theory, test for plasma DOAC concentrations, such tests are not routinely indicated as levels don’t correspond to bleeding outcomes. DOAC levels may be indicated in certain specific situations, such as while treating life-threatening bleeding, development of venous thromboembolism despite compliance with DOAC therapy, and treating patients at risk for bleeding because of an overdose. Jeff: In terms of those who require surgery while on a DOAC - if urgent or emergent, the DOAC will need to be empirically reversed. For all others, the recommendation is to wait a half life or even multiple half-lives, if possible, in lieu of level testing. Nachi: Coagulation tests are up next. Routine PT and PTT levels do not help assess DOACs, as abnormalities on either test can suggest the presence of a DOAC, but the values should not be interpreted as reliable measures of either therapeutic or supratherapeutic clinical anticoagulant effect. Jeff: Dabigatran may cause prolongation of both the PT and the PTT, but the overall correlation is poor. In addition, FXa inhibitors may elevate PT in a weakly concentration dependent manner, but this may only be helpful if anti-fXa levels are unavailable. Nachi: Which is a perfect segway into our next test - anti-factor Xa level activity. Direct measurements of the anti-Fxa effect demonstrates a strong linear correlation with plasma concentrations of these agents, but the anticoagulant effect does not necessarily follow the same linear fashion. Jeff: Some labs may even have an anti-FXa effect measurement calibrated specifically to the factor 10a inhibitors. Nachi: While measuring thrombin time is not routinely recommended, the result of thrombin time or dilute thrombin time does correlate well with dabigatran concentrations across normal ranges. Jeff: And lastly, we have the Ecarin clotting time. Ecarin is an enzyme that cleaves prothrombin to an active intermediate that can be inhibited by dabigatran in the same way as thrombin. The ECT is useful for measuring dabigatran concentration - it’s not useful for testing for FXa inhibitors. A normal ECT value could be used to exclude the presence of dabigatran. Nachi: So I think that rounds out testing. Let’s move into the treatment section. Jeff: For all agents, regardless of the DOAC, the initial resuscitation follows the standard principles of hemorrhage control and trauma resuscitation. Tourniquet application, direct pressure, endoscopy for GI bleeds, etc... should all be used as needed. And most importantly, for airway bleeding, pericardial bleeding, CNS bleeding, and those with hemodynamic instability or overt bleeding, those with a 2 point drop in their hemoglobin, and those requiring 2 or more units of pRBC - they all should be considered to have serious, life threatening bleeds. This patient population definitely requires reversal agents, which we’re getting to in a minute. Nachi: A type and screen should also be sent with the plan to follow standard transfusion guidelines, with the goal of a hemoglobin level of 7, understanding that in the setting of an active bleed, the hemoglobin level will not truly be representative. Jeff: Interestingly, in the overdose literature that’s out there, bleeding episodes appear to be rare - occurring in just 5% of DOAC overdose cases. Nachi: Finally, onto the section we’ve all been waiting for. Let’s talk specific reversal agents. Praxbind is up first. Jeff: Idarucizumab or Praxbind, is the reversal agent of choice for dabigatran (which is also called pradaxa). According to data from the RE-LY trial, it reverses dabigatran up to the 99th percentile of levels measured in the trial. Nachi: And praxbind should be given in two 2.5 g IV boluses 15 minutes apart to completely reverse the effects of dabigatran. Jeff: As you would expect given this data, guidelines for DOAC reversal recommend it in major life-threatening bleeding events for patients on dabigatran. Nachi: Next up is recombinant coagulation factor Xa (brand name Andexxa), which was approved in 2018 for the FXa inhibitors. This recombinant factor has a decoy receptor for the FXa agents, thus eliminating their anticoagulant effects. Jeff: Recombinant factor Xa is given in either high or low dose infusions. High dose infusions for those on rivaroxaban doses of >10 mg or apixaban doses >5 mg within the last 8 hours and for unknown doses and unknown time of administration. Low dose infusions should be used for those with smaller doses within the last 8 hours or for last doses taken beyond 8 hours. Nachi: In one trial of 352 patients, recombinant factor Xa given as an IV bolus and 2 hour infusion was highly effective at normalizing anti-FXa levels. 82% of the assessed patients at 12 hours achieved hemostasis, but there were also thrombotic events in 10% of the patients at 30 days. Jeff: And reported thrombotic events aren’t the only downside. Though the literature isn’t clear, there may be limited use of recombinant factor Xa outside of the time of the continuous infusion, and even worse, there may be rebound of anti-Fxa levels and anticoagulant effect. And lastly, the cost is SUBSTANTIAL. Nachi: Is there really a cost threshold for stopping life threatening bleeding…? Jeff: Touche, but that means we need to save it for specific times and consider other options out there. Since this has only been around for a year or so, let’s let the literature play out on this too... Nachi: And that perfectly takes us into our next topic, which is nonspecific reversal agents, starting with prothrombin complex concentrate, also called PCC. Jeff: PCC is FDA approved for rapid reversal of vitamin K antagonist-related hemorrhagic events and is now being used off label for DOAC reversal. Nachi: PCC comes in 3 and 4 factor varieties. 3-factor PCC contains factors 2, 9, 10 and trace amounts of factor 7. 4 factor PCC contains factors 2, 9 10, as well as purified factor 7 and proteins C and S. Jeff: Both also contain trace amounts of heparin so can’t be given to someone with a history of HIT. Nachi: PCC works by overwhelming the inhibitor agent by increasing the concentration of upstream clotting factors. It has been shown, in healthy volunteers, to normalize PT abnormalities and bleeding times, and to achieve effective bleeding control in patients on rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban with major bleeding events. Jeff: In small studies looking at various end points, 4 factor PCC has been shown to be superior to 3 factor PCC. Nachi: Currently it’s given via weight-based dosing, but there is interest in studying a fixed-dose to decrease both time to medication administration and cost of reversal. Jeff: Guidelines currently recommend 4F PCC over 3F PCC, if available, for the management of factor Xa inhibitor induced bleeding, with studies showing an effectiveness of nearly 70%. As a result, 4F PCC has become an agent of choice for rapid reversal of FXa inhibitors during major bleeding events. Nachi: Next we have activated PCC (trade name FEIBA). This is essentially 4Factor PCC with a modified factor 7. Though traditionally saved for bleeding reversal in hemophiliacs, aPCC is now being studied in DOAC induced bleeding. Though early studies are promising, aPCC should not be used over 4factor PCC routinely as of now but may be used if 4Factor PCC is not available. Jeff: Next we have recombinant factor 7a (trade name novoseven). This works by activating factors 9 and 10 resulting in rapid increase in thrombin. Studies have shown that it may reverse the effect of dabigatran, at the expense of increased risk of thrombosis. As such, it should not be used as long as other agents are available. Nachi: Fresh Frozen Plasma is the last agent to discuss in this section. Not a lot to say here - FFP is not recommended for reversal of any of the DOACs. It may be given as a part of of a balanced massive transfusion resuscitation, but otherwise, at this time, there doesn’t seem to be a clear role. Jeff: Let’s move on to adjunct therapies, of which we have 3 to discuss. Nachi: First is activated charcoal. Only weak evidence exists here - but, according to expert recommendations, there may be a role for DOAC ingestions within 2 hours of presentations. Jeff: Perhaps more useful than charcoal is our next adjunct - tranexamic acid or TXA. TXA is a synthetic lysine analogue with antifibrinolytic activity through reversible binding of plasmin. CRASH-2 is the main trial to know here. CRASH-2 demonstrated reduced mortality if given within 3 hours in trauma patients. There is very limited data with respect to TXA and DOACs specifically, so continue to administer TXA as part of your standard trauma protocol without modification if the patient is on a DOAC, as it’s likely helpful based on what data we have. Nachi: Next is vitamin K - there is no data to support routine use of vitamin K in those taking DOACs - save that for those on vitamin K antagonists. Jeff: Also, worth mentioning here is the importance of hematology input in developing hospital-wide protocols for reversal agents, especially if availability of certain agents is limited. Nachi: Let’s talk about some special circumstances and populations as they relate to DOACs. Patients with mechanical heart valves were excluded from the major DOAC trials. And of note, a trial of dabigatran in mechanical valve patients was stopped early because of bleeding and thromboembolic events. As such, the American College of Cardiology state that DOACs are reasonable for afib with native valve disease. Jeff: DOACs should be used with caution for pregnant, breastfeeding, and pediatric patients. A case series of 233 pregnancies that occurred among patients on a DOAC reported high rates of miscarriage. Nachi: Patients with renal impairment are particularly concerning as all DOACs are dependent to some degree on renal elimination. Current guidelines from the Anticoagulation Forum recommend avoiding dabigatran and rivaroxaban for patients with CrCL < 30 and avoiding edoxaban and betrixaban for patients with CrCl < 15. Jeff: A 2017 Cochrane review noted similar efficacy without increased risk of major bleeding when using DOACs in those with egfr > 30 (that’s ckd3b or better) when compared to patients with normal renal function and limited evidence for safety below this estimated GFR. Nachi: Of course, dosing with renal impairment will be different. We won’t go into the details of that here as you will probably discuss this directly with your pharmacist. Jeff: We should mention, however, that reversal of the anticoagulant in the setting of renal impairment for your major bleeding patient is exactly the same as we already outlined. Nachi: Let’s move on to some controversies and cutting-edge topics. The first one is a pretty big topic and that is treatment for ischemic stroke patients taking DOACs. Jeff: Safety and efficacy of tPA or endovascular therapy for patients on DOACs continues to be debated. Current guidelines do not recommend tPA if the last DOAC dose was within the past 48 hours, unless lab testing specific to these agents shows normal results. Nachi: Specifically, the American Heart Association suggests that INR and PTT be normal in all cases. ECT and TT should be tested for dabigatran. And calibrated anti-FXa level testing be normal for FXa inhibitors. Jeff: The AHA registry actually included 251 patients who received tpa while on DOACs, which along with cohort analysis of 26 ROCKET-AF trial patients, suggest the risk of intracranial hemorrhage is similar to patients on warfarin with INR < 1.7 and to patients not on any anticoagulation who received tpa. However, given the retrospective nature of this data, we cannot exclude the possibility of increased risk of adverse events with tpa given to patients on DOACs. Nachi: Endovascular thrombectomy also has not been studied in large numbers for patients on DOACs. Current recommendations are to discuss with your stroke team. IV lysis or endovascular thrombectomy may be considered for select patients on DOACs. Always include the patient and family in shared decision making here. Jeff: There are also some scoring systems for bleeding risk to discuss briefly. The HAS-BLED has been used to determine bleeding risk in afib patients taking warfarin. The ORBIT score was validated in a cohort that included patients on DOACs and is similarly easy to use, and notably does not require INR values. Nachi: There is also the ABC score which has demonstrated slightly better prediction characteristics for bleeding risk, but it requires high-sensitivity troponin, limiting its practical use. Jeff: We won’t say more about the scoring tools here, but would recommend that you head over to MD Calc, where you can find them and use them in your practice. Nachi: Let’s also comment on the practicality of hemodialysis for removal of the DOACs. Multiple small case series have shown successful removal of dabigatran, given its small size and low protein binding. On the other hand, the FXa inhibitors are less amenable to removal in this way because of their higher protein binding. Jeff: Worth mentioning here also - dialysis catheters if placed should be in compressible areas in case bleeding occurs. The role of hemodialysis for overdose may be limited now that the specific reversal agent, praxbind, exists. Nachi: In terms of cutting-edge tests, we have viscoelastic testing like thromboelastography and rotational thromboelastometry. Several studies have examined the utility of viscoelastic testing to detect presence of DOACs with varying results. Prolongation of clotting times here does appear to correlate with concentration, but these tests haven’t emerged as a gold standard yet. Jeff: Also, for cutting edge, we should mention ciraparantag. And if you’ve been listening patiently and just thinking to yourself why can’t there be one reversal agent to reverse everything, this may be the solution. Ciraparantag (or aripazine) is a universal anticoagulant reversal agent that may have a role in all DOACs and heparins. It binds and inactivates all of these agents and it doesn’t appear to have a procoagulant effect. Nachi: Clinical trials for ciraparantag have shown rapid and durable reversal of edoxaban, but further trials and FDA approval are still needed. Jeff: We’ve covered a ton of material so far. As we near the end of this episode, let’s talk disposition. Nachi: First, we have those already on DOACs - I think it goes without saying that any patient who receives pharmacological reversal of coagulopathy for major bleeding needs to be admitted, likely to the ICU. Jeff: Next we have those that we are considering starting a DOAC, for example in someone with newly diagnosed VTE, or patients with an appropriate CHADS-VASC with newly diagnosed non-valvular afib. Nachi: With respect to venous thromboembolism, both dabigatran and edoxaban require a 5 day bridge with heparin, whereas apixaban and rivaroxaban do not. The latter is not only easier on the patient but also offers potential cost savings with low risk of hemorrhagic complications. Jeff: For patients with newly diagnosed DVT / PE, both the American and British Thoracic Society, as well as ACEP, recommend using either the pulmonary embolism severity index, aka PESI, or the simplified PESI or the Hestia criteria to risk stratify patients with PE. The low risk group is potentially appropriate for discharge home on anticoagulation. This strategy reduces hospital days and costs with otherwise similar outcomes - total win all around. Nachi: Definitely a great opportunity for some shared decision making since data here is fairly sparse. This is also a great place to have institutional policies, which could support this practice and also ensure rapid outpatient follow up. Jeff: If you are going to consider ED discharge after starting a DOAC - there isn’t great data supporting one over another. You’ll have to consider patient insurance, cost, dosing schedules, and patient / caregiver preferences. Vitamin K antagonists should also be discussed as there is lots of data to support their safety outcomes, not to mention that they are often far cheaper…. As an interesting aside - I recently diagnosed a DVT/PE in an Amish gentleman who came to the ED by horse - that was some complicated decision making with respect to balancing the potentially prohibitive cost of DOACs with the massive inconvenience of frequently checking INRs after a 5 mile horseback ride into town... Nachi: Nice opportunity for shared decision making… Jeff: Lastly, we have those patients who are higher risk for bleeding. Though I’d personally be quite uneasy in this population, if you are to start a DOAC, consider apixaban or edoxaban, which likely have lower risk of major bleeding. Nachi: So that’s it for the new material for this month’s issue. Certainly, an important topic as the frequency of DOAC use continues to rise given their clear advantages for both patients and providers. However, despite their outpatient ease of use, it definitely complicates our lives in the ED with no easy way to evaluate their anticoagulant effect and costly reversal options. Hopefully all our hospitals have developed or will soon develop guidelines for both managing ongoing bleeding with reversal agents and for collaborative discharges with appropriate follow up resources for those we send home on a DOAC. Jeff: Absolutely. Let’s wrap up with some the highest yield points and clinical pearls Nachi: Dabigatran works by direct thrombin inhibition, whereas rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban, and betrixaban all work by Factor Xa inhibition. Jeff: The DOACs have a much shorter half-life than warfarin. Nachi: Prehospital care providers should ask all patients about their use of anticoagulants. Jeff: Have a low threshold to order a head CT in patients with mild head trauma if they are on DOACs. Nachi: For positive head CT findings or high suspicion of significant injury, order a repeat head CT in 4 to 6 hours and discuss with neurosurgery. Jeff: Have a lower threshold to conduct a FAST exam for blunt abdominal trauma patients on DOACs. Nachi: Assessment of renal function is important with regards to all DOACs. Jeff: While actual plasma concentrations of DOACs can be measured, these do not correspond to bleeding outcomes and should not be ordered routinely. Nachi: The DOACs may cause mild prolongation of PT and PTT. Jeff: Idarucizumab (Praxbind®) is an antibody to dabigatran. For dabigatran reversal, administer two 2.5g IV boluses 15 minutes apart. Reversal is rapid and does not cause prothrombotic effects. Nachi: Recombinant FXa can be used to reverse the FXa inhibitors. This works as a decoy receptor for the FXa agents. Jeff: Vitamin K and FFP are not recommended for reversal of DOACs. Nachi: Consider activated charcoal to remove DOACs ingested within the last two hours in the setting of life-threatening hemorrhages in patient’s on DOACs. Jeff: Hemodialysis can effectively remove dabigatran, but this is not true for the FXa inhibitors. Nachi: 4F-PCC has been shown to be effective in reversing the effects of the FXa inhibitors. This is thought to be due to overwhelming the inhibitor agent by increased concentrations of upstream clotting factors. Jeff: tPA is contraindicated in acute ischemic stroke if a DOAC dose was administered within the last 48 hours, unless certain laboratory testing criteria are met. Nachi: Emergency clinicians should consider initiating DOACs in the ED for patients with new onset nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, DVT, or PE that is in a low-risk group. Jeff: So that wraps up Episode 31! Nachi: As always, additional materials are available on our website for Emergency Medicine Practice subscribers. If you’re not a subscriber, consider joining today. You can find out more at ebmedicine.net/subscribe. Subscribers get in-depth articles on hundreds of emergency medicine topics, concise summaries of the articles, calculators and risk scores, and CME credit. You’ll also get enhanced access to the podcast, including any images and tables mentioned. PA’s and NP’s - make sure to use the code APP4 at checkout to save 50%. Jeff: And the address for this month’s cme credit is www.ebmedicine.net/E0819, so head over there to get your CME credit. As always, the [DING SOUND] you heard throughout the episode corresponds to the answers to the CME questions. Lastly, be sure to find us on iTunes and rate us or leave comments there. You can also email us directly at EMplify@ebmedicine.net with any comments or suggestions. Talk to you next month!

Los pacientes en shock hemorrágico comúnmente requieren transfusión de sangre para restablecer el volumen sanguíneo y la capacidad de transporte de oxígeno. Aunque es relativamente común tener que transfundir sangre cuando una persona tiene un sangrado severo, el término "transfusión masiva" consiste en la transfusión de: 10 unidades de sangre en menos de 24 horas, o 5 unidades de sangre en menos de 3 horas Cada unidad de sangre tiene aproximadamente 450 mL. Cada unidad de PRBC (packed red blood cells o paquete de glóbulos rojos) contiene 200 mL y eleva el hematocrito en un 3% a menos que no haya sangrado concurrente. El manejo del paciente de trauma está moviéndose cada vez más a iniciar la transfusión de sangre de forma temprana y oportuna. Las recomendaciones del ATLS y el PHTLS recomiendan que la sangre es el mejor fluido para resucitar al paciente con shock hemorrágico. Debido a que ahora más pacientes reciben sangre de forma temprana, nuevos estudios (y este otro) sugieren que el término transfusión masiva pueden incluir pacientes que reciban: 3 unidades de sangre en 1 hora, o 4 componentes sanguíneos en 30 minutos ¿Qué pacientes requieren una transfusión masiva? Aunque puede resultar difícil predecir quién requiere una transfusión masiva, existen diferentes puntuaciones que miden la probabilidad de que un paciente requiera una transfusión masiva. Es importante señalar que estas escalas no definen si alguien necesita o no sangre. Solamente buscan predecir quiénes necesitan sangre a través de un protocolo de transfusión masiva. Para efectos prácticos, se recomienda la escala Assessment of Blood Consumption (ABC) para predecir los pacientes que requieren transfusión masiva de sangre debido a su simplicidad y su alta sensitividad. La escala tiene cuatro componentes. La presencia de dos o más criterios implica la necesidad de transfusión: Presencia de trauma penetrante FAST positivo Presión arterial sistólica < 90 mmHg a la llegada al hospital Frecuencia cardiaca > 120 lpm a la llegada al hospital Se debe activar el protocolo de transfusión masiva cuando el paciente cumple con dos o más de los siguientes: Puntuación ABC de dos o más Inestabilidad hemodinámica persistente Sangrado activo que requiere cirugía o angioembolización Transfusión en el cuarto de reanimación Los pacientes que NO cumplen con dos o más de estos criterios probablemente NO van a necesitar una transfusión masiva, aunque si pudieran necesitar sangre en cualquier momento desde su llegada hasta el control definitivo del sangrado. ¿Cuál es la meta en la resucitación con fluidos? La meta en el manejo del paciente que requiere resucitación con fluidos es: Detener el sangrado El tratamiento con fluidos no debe retrasar el control definitivo del sangrado. Restablecer el volumen circulante La sangre no se mueve fácilmente cuando los vasos sanguíneos están colapsados. Es necesario mantener cierto tono vascular para facilitar el flujo. Mantener la composición normal de la sangre El término "sangre" es el colectivo de varios componentes que llevan a cabo tareas diferentes. Este líquido está compuesto de elementos que sirven para producir hemostasis (plaquetas), otros que transportan oxígeno (hemoglobina), otros que mantienen la presión oncótica (plasma) y electrolitos asociados. La pérdida de sangre produce la pérdida equitativa de estos componentes. Es decir, el hemograma de una persona agudamente y activamente sangrando no muestra un desequilibrio en los primeros minutos u horas porque se está perdiendo una cantidad igual de componentes. El problema ocurre cuando se reemplazan estos componentes. Hay que reemplazarlos todos. Si se provee solamente Lactato de Ringer (o cloruro de sodio), el hematocrito va a disminuir porque va a haber menos glóbulos rojos en la solución...¡los estás diluyendo! ¿Cuál es el mejor fluido para resucitar el paciente en shock hemorrágico? Sangre completa Paquete globular + plasma + plaquetas (1:1:1) Cristaloides El paciente con un sangrado activo está perdiendo sangre completa. La mejor solución es la sangre completa. El problema es que desde la década de los 1980s se ha comenzado a fraccionar la sangre en sus respectivos componentes para eficientizar su uso en pacientes que tienen problemas específicos. La recomendación actual es administrar una unidad de cada uno de los tres componentes. A esto se le conoce como una transfusión a razón de 1:1:1. La triada fatal del paciente que está sangrando es: Acidosis Hipotermia Coagulopatía La resucitación con cristaloides produce coagulopatía por dilución. Luego de 1,000 mL de cristaloides en un paciente con un sangrado no controlado, y en donde se anticipa la necesidad de mayor cantidad de fluidos para mantener cierta estabilidad hemodinámica, se debe comenzar con sangre indistintamente de la necesidad de activar el protocolo de transfusión masiva o no. Es importante tener en cuenta que la transfusión masiva no debe afectar otros principios del manejo del paciente previo a la cirugía de control de daño, como lo es la resuscitación controlada de fluidos, o inclusive la hipotensión permisiva si el paciente estuviese hipotenso pero con relativamente buena perfusión (buen estado mental y presencia de pulsos periféricos). El aumento rápido y/o drástico de la presión sanguínea en pacientes con un sangrado no controlado está asociada a mayor mortalidad. ¿Por qué tener un protocolo de transfusión masiva? Aunque hoy día las transfusiones de sangre son seguras, toda transfusión trae consigo un riesgo inherente de efectos secundarios al transfundir un componente sanguíneo. El protocolo de transfusión masiva busca reducir la morbilidad y mortalidad de los pacientes que están expuestos a grandes cantidades de productos sanguíneos en corto tiempo. No todas las transfusiones de sangre requieren la activación del protocolo de transfusión masiva. Dependiendo del volumen de pacientes, la activación del protocolo de transfusión masiva es un evento esporádico. Sin embargo, cuando ocurre, puede acabar con las reservas disponibles en un banco de sangre en relativamente corto tiempo y tiene mayor riesgo de eventos adversos en el paciente. Por lo tanto, es importante una buena coordinación entre todas las partes envueltas. Este modelo de transfusión masiva puede ser utilizado como referencia. ¿Qué debe tener el protocolo de transfusión masiva? Según el Colegio Americano de Cirujanos, cada institución debe contar con un protocolo de transfusión masiva para pacientes de trauma que incluya: Criterios de activación del protocolo de transfusión masica Disponibilidad de productos sanguíneos para resuscitación inicial en unidad de trauma Continuación de transfusión en Sala de Operaciones, sala de angiografía o unidad de cuidados intensivos Metas de transfusión Uso de adyuvantes durante la transfusión Terminación de la transfusión Monitoreo de calidad del programa y protocolo de transfusión masiva Algunas recomendaciones específicas incluyen: Comenzar con productos de sangre, en vez de cristaloides, cuando sea posible. Los productos sanguíneos deben llegar del servicio de transfusión en proporción de 1:1:1. Las siguientes entregas de productos sanguíneos deben continunar a intérvalos de 15 minutos hasta que se determine detener el protocolo de transfusión masiva. Debe haber siempre un producto sanguíneo adicional listo y disponible en la cabecera del paciente en todo momento mientras el protocolo de transfusión masiva esté activado. Logística del protocolo El hecho de que las unidades de sangre tienen que llegar de forma regular y constante hace que se deba preparar un listado de lo que debe entregarse cada 15-30 minutos. El siguiente ejemplo muestra una secuencia práctica: 3U de sangre completa Caja 1: 2 paquetes globulares, 2 plasmas Caja 2: 4 paquetes globulares, 4 plasmas, 1 plaquetas Caja 3: 4 paquetes globulares, 4 plasmas, 3 Crioprecipitado Considerar FVIIa 90mcg/kg si está indicado Caja 4: 4 paquetes globulares, 4 plasmas, 1 plaquetas Cajas subsiguientes alternan la Caja 3 y 4 Repetir hemograma, coagulación, plaquetas, gases arteriales, y calcio cada 30 minutos (LITFL) Puede ver otro ejemplo y gráfica del protocolo aquí y una versión del protocolo pediátrico aquí. https://youtu.be/mv7ljhJoci8 Adyuvantes durante la transfusión masiva Algunos medicamentos pueden ayudar a disminuir la necesidad de más productos sanguíneos. El único que consistentemente tiene una recomendación en trauma es el uso del ácido tranexámico luego del famoso estudio CRASH-2. Otros medicamentos con potencial incluyen el factor VIIa recombinado, sin embargo, el American College of Surgeons sugiere que hace falta más data sobre el efecto y beneficio a largo plazo para llegar a una conclusión sobre su utilidad. Sin embargo, el uso de otras combinaciones de factores de coagulación tales como los PCC (prothombin complex concentrate) pueden tener utilidad en el manejo de pacientes con sangrados asociados al uso de warfarina. Ácido tranexámico (TXA) durante la transfusión El ácido tranexámico debe comenzarse dentro de las primeras 3 horas del inicio del sangrado. La dosis inicial es 1 gramo intravenoso en una infusión de 100 mL a bajar en 10 minutos. Luego se administra una infusión de mantenimiento de 1 gramo en 8 horas. Monitoreo durante transfusión Se deben verificar los siguientes parámetros cada 30 minutos: Temperatura > 35C pH > 7.2, exceso de base 1.1 mmol/L Hemoglobina Plaquetas > 50,000 (>100,000 si el sangrado es intracraneal) PT / APTT ≤ 1.5x de lo normal Fibrinógeno ≥ 1.0 g/L INR ≤ 1.5 Monitoreo de complicaciones Las siguientes complicaciones están asociadas a la transfusión masiva. Es importante que se documente la incidencia de estas para así identificar cuáles prácticas pueden mejorarse en la prevención y/o el tratamiento oportuno de estas: Coagulopatías Hipocalcemia Complicaciones trombóticas ARDS Sobrecarga de volumen Lesión pulmonar aguda por transfusión (TRALI) Reacciones hemolíticas Muerte Hipocalcemia La hipocalcemia es la una de las complicaciones más peligrosas asociadas a la transfusión masiva. El citrato en los paquetes globulares y plasma sirve de preservativo y anticoagulante. Aunque el hígado puede metabolizar el citrato sin ningún problema en transfusiones normales, los pacientes que reciben transfusiones masivas tienen una acumulación rápida de citrato y un hígado pobremente perfundido que no lo metaboliza con la misma rapidez con la que se acumula. El citrato provoca hipocalcemia mediante la quelación del calcio. El gluconato de calcio puede ser utilizado para corregir niveles peligrosamente bajos de calcio. Protocolo de transfusión masiva en acción El siguiente video muestra una simulación del protocolo de transfusión masiva: https://youtu.be/90VaiaA5xVs Y ahora el protocolo en acción... https://youtu.be/-LHybRRt_AU ¿Cuándo detener el protocolo de transfusión masiva? Es importante tener criterios específicos de cuándo se debe detener el protocolo de transfusión masiva para no malgastar recursos imporantes y vitales. Detener el protocolo de transfusión masiva no significa que el paciente no pueda recibir más sangre, o que no pueda volver a ser activado. Simplemente significa que no se van a tener neveras con más sangre llegando cada 15 minutos de forma continua. Existen dos razones principales para detener el protocolo: Se logra detener el sangrado de forma definitiva. La resucitación del paciente es futil. Otros criterios que pueden servir de guía para decidir que se puede desactivar el protocolo de transfusión masiva y continuar las transfusiones según los criterios regulares son: Hgb ≥ 10 g/dL PT < 18 segundos Plaquetas > 150 x 10ˆ9 Nivel de fibrinógeno > 180 g/L Hay vida después del protocolo de transfusión masiva Si el lugar donde se encuentra el paciente no cuenta con los recursos necesarios para el control definitivo del sangrado, la coordinación para el transporte del paciente a la facilidad donde pueda recibir el cuidado definitivo debe comenzar de forma concurrente con el inicio del protocolo de transfusión masiva. Muchos hospitales cuentan con reservas relativamente pequeñas de sangre. La activación de un protocolo de transfusión masiva de un solo paciente puede acabar las reservas del hospital. Cada vez es más común que el equipo de transporte crítico interhospitalario tenga la capacidad de traer sangre para la transfusión del paciente durante el transporte. Una vez se detiene el protocolo de transfusión masiva, se continua monitorizando al paciente según su estatus de coagulación y se deciden productos sanguíneos adicionales según sea necesario de forma tradicional. Se debe monitorizar los siguientes parámetros cada 30 minutos a 1 hora: INR aPTT Niveles de fibrinógeno Hgb y Hct Conteo de plaquetas Calcio Gases arteriales Monitoreo de calidad Todo protocolo o programa tiene que tener marcadores de calidad e indicadores de complicaciones. Estas incluyen: Tiempo de inicio de primera unidad de sangre luego de la activación del protocolo Adherencia a proporción predeterminada de productos sanguíneos luego de las primeras 2 horas después de haber iniciado el protocolo Informar al servicio de transfusión que se termina el protocolo dentro de la primera hora de haberlo terminado Taza de desperdicio de productos sanguíneos Referencias https://www.facs.org/~/media/files/quality%20programs/trauma/tqip/massive%20transfusion%20in%20trauma%20guildelines.ashx http://scielo.isciii.es/pdf/medinte/v35n9/original3.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25647203 http://www.tamingthesru.com/blog/diagnostics/massive-transfusion Scott Weingart. Podcast 71 – Critical Questions on Massive Transfusion Protocols with Kenji Inaba. EMCrit Blog. Published on April 16, 2012. Accessed on April 15th 2019. Available at [https://emcrit.org/emcrit/massive-transfusion-kenji/ ]. http://www.eccpodcast.com/6/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23477634 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=25757105 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=29985236 https://broomedocs.com/clinical-resources/massive-transfusion-protocol/ https://litfl.com/massive-blood-loss/

Back to camp we go to hear Dr. Matthew Poremba medical director of Allegheny LifeFlight discuss whole blood use in helicopter EMS. Dr. Poremba discussed the hurtles he and the folks at Lifeflight encountered while working to start their whole blood program and why it is far superior to PRBC in his opinion in some patients. CME Collective If you need someone to talk to, call 1-833-AIR-FAST. FAST TEAM Video

Missionary Conference Feb. 24, 2019

If you didn't listen to the recent podcast put out by Tyler Christifulli and FOAMfrat called "Trigger Happy Transfusion Confusion" please download and listen via the FOAMfrat podcast feed. Tyler does a great job and provides out of the box thinking on the hot topic of PRBC administration in the transport environment. This "Response" podcast is based on my commentary, overall thoughts on the topic, additional topic points to consider and an overall review of the data related to PRBCs, FFP, and the recently published PAMPer trial. We couldn’t make this podcast without. Please rate, and review wherever you download the podcast. Thanks for listening!

If you didn't listen to the recent podcast put out by Tyler Christifulli and FOAMfrat called "Trigger Happy Transfusion Confusion" please download and listen via the FOAMfrat podcast feed. Tyler does a great job and provides out of the box thinking on the hot topic of PRBC administration in the transport environment. This "Response" podcast is based on my commentary, overall thoughts on the topic, additional topic points to consider and an overall review of the data related to PRBCs, FFP, and the recently published PAMPer trial. We couldn't make this podcast without. Please rate, and review wherever you download the podcast. Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has become a staple in HEMS to carry and deliver blood products to trauma patients who need them. Some agencies will carry plasma, packed red blood cells, and platelets. The majority will only carry packed red blood cells (PRBC's). From the curb this makes sense. If a patient is losing blood, we should replace it. However there is heterogeneous views on when this should be done and how.  www.foamfrat.com 

"This used to be merely intuition...even a minute or two at low MAPs may be too much and certainly waiting 20 minutes for pharmacy to send up a drip is probably way too long...and your kidneys may actually be getting damaged in that short period of time." - Scott Weingart, MD Who is Scott Weingart, MD? Courtesy of Scott Weingart, MD Scott D. Weingart, MD FCCM FUCEM DipHTFU Scott is an ED Intensivist from New York. He did fellowships in Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and ECMO. He is currently an attending in and chief of the Division of Emergency Critical Care at Stony Brook Hospital. He is a clinical associate professor of emergency medicine at Stony Brook Medicine and an adjunct associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is best known for talking to himself about Resuscitation and Critical Care on a podcast called EMCrit, which has been downloaded > 19 million times. EMCrit Twitter Team @emcrit What is a MAP? (Mean Arterial Pressure) Average pressure in a patient’s arteries during one cardiac cycle Really good number to measure organ perfusion Systolic BP is a useless measurement in super hypotensive patients Calculations: MAP = CO x SVR MAP = SBP + 2(DBP)/3 Low MAPs should be treated as an Emergency = Requires Good Nursing!! What is a minimal MAP for adequate perfusion? No one knows!!  Minimal MAPs (what we think and have made up) to adequately perfuse 3 main organs. Use this as a loose guideline. May have to individualize for each patient.   Brain MAP 60-65 but can go lower for a bit of time before damage MAP 40 starts to have altered mental status Heart MAP 60-65 Kidney MAP 65 super sensitive to low MAPs May not be able to measure output in ED if kidneys were hit hard and due to shunting In the ED, we like MAP 65... because the organs will have minimal perfusion and we often don't know what the medical history is or have had 24 hours of patient observation.  Normal MAP + Low SBP + Normal DBP = Okay Organs are being perfused Low MAP + Normal SBP + Low DBP (Ex: 100/20) = Badness Can be in cardiac arrest if you don't pay attention and do something ASAP Low MAP, How long is too long? New Anesthesia literature that shows a minute or two may be too much. Concern for kidney injury Hearts may dislike low MAP esp. Pts with cardiac history. React quickly to low MAPs (MAP 40s and 50s) No barrier to treating low MAPs No Harm in treating low MAPs Can start peripheral NE drip and if in 45 minutes, NE drip is titrated off - no harm done to Pt Wait and See approach with fluids doesn't work Fluids don't last to maintain MAPs, it will drop 30-60 minutes later Harm to keep Pt at low MAPs "Permissive Hypotension" A confusing term No one is really in a permissive hypotension state lower than the minimal MAP 65 Trauma A confusing term because the trauma studies still show that a Pt is being perfused and hovering around MAP 60-65 Term came about because fluids were restricted instead of giving bunch of fluids - but BPs were normal Some say the clot is formed so don't break the clot - still BPs are at MAPs that we talked about Bickell study on penetrating trauma Scott mentioned Permissive hypotension/hypotensive resuscitation and restricted/controlled resuscitation in patients with severe trauma by D. Kudo Rick Dutton Approach for penetrating trauma management as described by Scott Keep your patient from being vasoconstricted Organs are not being perfused with higher MAP but in fact exsanguinating due to vasoconstriction Manage by hovering around a MAP 60-65 and perfuse organs MAP 80 (or whatever upper limit you decide), give them some anesthetic and dilate them. Fentanyl is an indirect vasodilator Read more about Richard Dutton and trauma at emcrit.org Hemostatic Resuscitation Hemorrhagic Shock Patient in Trauma Neuro - term doesn't really apply

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review how long you can keep your packed red blood (pRBC) cell transfusions around. 2-3 weeks? 4-6 weeks? What's the right answer? Does it depend on the patient, their disease, or the hospital's protocol?

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review how long you can keep your packed red blood (pRBC) cell transfusions around. 2-3 weeks? 4-6 weeks? What's the right answer? Does it depend on the patient, their disease, or the hospital's protocol?

Ronnie Stewart is a motocross journeyman. Taking on the Supercross field with the best equipment you can buy off the self!!    

#3 in the Series of The Disciplines of Disciples. The Discipline of the Word. Choir: Standing

Easter Worship celebration at PRBC. Featuring the RIDGEMEN singing "Then Came The Morning", the Celebration Choir singing, "This Blood," soloist: La'rel Worman and the Easter Message by Pastor Shawn E. Thomas.

Beginning at New Series titled: The Disciplines of Disciples. A 13 message series here at PRBC from Pastor Shawn E Thomas. Todays song is called "We'll soon be done with troubles and trials" by the Celebration CHOIR and soloist La'rel Worman.

Transfusion of packed red blood cells (pRBCs) is a common treatment for anemia. Transfusion to a normal PCV is unnecessary and may result in fluid overload due to the volume needed to return the PCV back to the normal range. The goal of pRBC transfusion is to alleviate the clinical signs associated with anemia or decreased oxygen content (CaO2). The question is: how much blood do you have to give to achieve the “desired packed cell volume (PCV)?” In this veterinary podcast, VetGirl will examine transfusion formulas to help you determine how much blood you need to give for these anemic patients.

Transfusion of packed red blood cells (pRBCs) is a common treatment for anemia. Transfusion to a normal PCV is unnecessary and may result in fluid overload due to the volume needed to return the PCV back to the normal range. The goal of pRBC transfusion is to alleviate the clinical signs associated with anemia or decreased oxygen content (CaO2). The question is: how much blood do you have to give to achieve the “desired packed cell volume (PCV)?” In this veterinary podcast, VetGirl will examine transfusion formulas to help you determine how much blood you need to give for these anemic patients.

In episode seven of the Transcend Coffee podcast, Poul interviews newly crowned Prairies Regional Barista Champ Ben Put and discusses the impact of barista competitions on the specialty coffee community.