title: Significance of the initial spun hematocrit in trauma patients.
abstract: This study was designed to determine whether the initial spun hematocrit (HCT) value correlated with blood loss requiring operative intervention (OR). A spun HCT was performed on the first available blood sample from 524 admitted patients 12 years of age or older with traumatic injuries (86% blunt, 14% penetrating). Patients in the OR (n = 66) group had a lower mean HCT (35 v 41, P < .001) when compared with the non-OR group. The 81 patients with an HCT of < or = 35 required OR more frequently (41% v 7%, P < .001). An HCT of < or = 35 had a sensitivity of 50%, specificity of 90%, positive predictive value of 41%, and negative predictive value of 93% for identifying the OR group. The effect of hemodilution from intravenous fluid is difficult to assess in a retrospective clinical study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Albany Medical College, NY 12208, USA.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Snyder
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000097:blood / Q000601:surgery; D000058:Accidental Falls; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000097:blood / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000097:blood / Q000601:surgery; D006400:Hematocrit / Q000379:methods*; D006438:Hemodilution; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010343:Patient Admission; D010952:Plasma Substitutes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000097:blood / Q000601:surgery; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000097:blood / Q000601:surgery; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D010952:Plasma Substitutes