title: Methods for improved hemorrhage control.
abstract: Trauma is the leading cause of death from age 1 to 34 years and is the fifth leading cause of death overall in the USA, with uncontrolled hemorrhage being the leading cause of potentially preventable death. Improving our ability to control hemorrhage may represent the next major hurdle in reducing trauma mortality. New techniques, devices, and drugs for hemorrhage control are being developed and applied across the continuum of trauma care: prehospital, emergency room, and operative and postoperative critical care. This brief review focuses on drugs directed at life-threatening hemorrhage. The most important of these new drugs are injectable hemostatics, fibrin foams, and dressings. The available animal studies are encouraging and human studies are required.
authors.affiliation: Trauma Division, US Army Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, USA. John.Holcomb@cen.amedd.army.mil
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Holcomb
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003029:Coagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods; D015942:Factor VIIa / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006488:Hemostasis, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative; D015996:Survival Rate; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D003029:Coagulants; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015942:Factor VIIa