title: Prehospital use of tranexamic acid for hemorrhagic shock in primary and secondary air medical evacuation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Major hemorrhage remains a leading cause of death in both military and civilian trauma. We report the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) as part of a trauma exanguination/massive transfusion protocol in the management of hemorrhagic shock in a civilian primary and secondary air medical evacuation (AME) helicopter EMS program.
  
  
  METHODS
  TXA was introduced into our CCP flight paramedic program in June 2011. Indications for use include age > 16 years, major trauma (defined a priori based on mechanism of injury or findings on primary survey), and heart rate (HR) > 110 beats per minute (bpm) or systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 90 mmHg. Our protocol, which includes 24-hour online medical oversight, emphasizes rapid initiation of transport, permissive hypotension in select patients, early use of blood products (secondary AME only), and infusion of TXA while en route to a major trauma center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over a 4-month period, our CCP flight crews used TXA a total of 13 times. Patients had an average HR of 111 bpm [95% CI 90.71-131.90], SBP of 91 mmHg [95% CI 64.48-118.60], and Glascow Coma Score of 7 [95% CI 4.65-9.96]. For primary AME, average response time was 33 minutes [95% CI 19.03-47.72], scene time 22 minutes [95% CI 20.23-24.27], and time to TXA administration 32 minutes [95% CI 25.76-38.99] from first patient contact. There were no reported complications with the administration of TXA in any patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We report the successful integration of TXA into a primary and secondary AME program in the setting of major trauma with confirmed or suspected hemorrhagic shock. Further studies are needed to assess the effect of such a protocol in this patient population.
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Emergency Health Services, BC Ambulance Service Provincial AirEvac and Critical Care Operations, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. erik.vu@bcehs.ca
authors.forename: Erik Nelson
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Vu
authors.forename: Rob S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Schlamp
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Wand
authors.forename: Geoff A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Kleine-Deters
authors.forename: Mark P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Vu
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tallon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017732:Air Ambulances; D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012771:Shock, Hemorrhagic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014148:Tranexamic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents; D014148:Tranexamic Acid