Impact of time to surgery on mortality in hypotensive patients with noncompressible torso hemorrhage: An AAST multicenter, prospective study

Editor's Choice -- European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) 2025 Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Vascular Trauma

OBJECTIVE

The European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) has developed clinical practice guidelines for the care of patients with vascular trauma with the aim of assisting physicians in selecting the optimal management strategy.

METHODS

The guidelines are based on scientific evidence completed with expert opinion. By summarising and evaluating the best available evidence, recommendations for the evaluation and treatment of patients have been formulated. The recommendations are graded according to the ESVS evidence grading system, where the strength (class) of each recommendation is graded from I to III, and the letters A to C mark the level of evidence.

RESULTS

A total of 105 recommendations have been issued on the following topics: general principles for vascular trauma care and resuscitation including technical skill sets, bleeding control and restoration of perfusion, graft materials, and imaging; management of vascular trauma in the neck, thoracic aorta and thoracic outlet, abdomen, and upper and lower extremities; post-operative considerations after vascular trauma; and paediatric vascular trauma. In addition, unresolved vascular trauma issues and the patients' perspectives are discussed.

CONCLUSION

The ESVS clinical practice guidelines provide the most comprehensive, up to date, evidence based advice to clinicians on the management of vascular trauma.

Survival Rate in Emergency Thoracotomy for Penetrating Trauma: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Background Emergency thoracotomy (ET) is a critical intervention for traumatic thoracic injuries, often required in patients with penetrating trauma. The survival outcomes and the factors that influence survival in these patients remain an area of interest for trauma care providers. Objective The objective of the study is to assess the survival rate and factors influencing the survival of patients undergoing emergency thoracotomy due to penetrating thoracic trauma. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the thoracic surgery, accident, and emergency department of Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan. A total of 85 patients who underwent emergency thoracotomy following penetrating trauma between July 2019 and June 2024 were included. Data were extracted from the health information management system (HIMS) and analyzed using SPSS. The study reviewed demographic details, severity of injury, operative details, and postoperative outcomes. Statistical analyses included univariate analysis using chi-square and Fisher's exact tests for categorical data and independent t-tests for continuous variables. Results The study included 85 patients with a mean age of 25.72±7.84 years. The majority of patients were male (81/85, 95.29%), while females accounted for a smaller proportion (4/85, 4.71%), and gunshot trauma accounted for the most frequent cause of penetrating injury (50/85, 58.8%). The time to thoracotomy was within 60 minutes of admission, with a mean time of 48±16.5 minutes. A total of 61/85 (71.5%) patients had isolated thoracic injuries, and 24/85 (28.2%) had associated injuries, with 24/85 (28.2%) patients requiring concomitant laparotomy. The overall mortality rate was 9/85 (10.5%), with 7/9 (77.7%) of deaths occurring intraoperatively. Mortality was significantly higher in patients with combined thoracotomy and laparotomy procedures. Prolonged hospital stays and higher transfusion requirements were observed in gunshot wound victims (50/85, 58.8%). Conclusions Emergency thoracotomy for penetrating thoracic trauma has a significant mortality rate in patients with combined thoracic and abdominal injuries. Factors such as the mechanism of injury, associated injuries, and the need for additional procedures (e.g., laparotomy) influence survival outcomes. Early intervention and proper management of associated injuries are crucial for improving survival rates in these patients.

Faster refill in an urban emergency medical services system saves lives: A prospective preliminary evaluation of a prehospital advanced resuscitative care bundle

INTRODUCTION

Military experience has demonstrated mortality improvement when advanced resuscitative care (ARC) is provided for trauma patients with severe hemorrhage. The benefits of ARC for trauma in civilian emergency medical services (EMS) systems with short transport intervals are still unknown. We hypothesized that ARC implementation in an urban EMS system would reduce in-hospital mortality.

METHODS

This was a prospective analysis of ARC bundle administration between 2021 and 2023 in an urban EMS system with 70,000 annual responses. The ARC bundle consisted of calcium, tranexamic acid, and packed red blood cells via a rapid infuser. Advanced resuscitative care patients were compared with trauma registry controls from 2016 to 2019. Included were patients with a penetrating injury and systolic blood pressure ≤90 mm Hg. Excluded were isolated head trauma or prehospital cardiac arrest. In-hospital mortality was the primary outcome of interest.

RESULTS

A total of 210 patients (ARC, 61; controls, 149) met the criteria. The median age was 32 years, with no difference in demographics, initial systolic blood pressure or heart rate recorded by EMS, or New Injury Severity Score between groups. At hospital arrival, ARC patients had lower median heart rate and shock index than controls ( p ≤ 0.03). Fewer patients in the ARC group required prehospital advanced airway placement ( p < 0.001). Twenty-four-hour and total in-hospital mortality were lower in the ARC group ( p ≤ 0.04). Multivariable regression revealed an independent reduction in in-hospital mortality with ARC (odds ratio, 0.19; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.68; p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Early ARC in a fast-paced urban EMS system is achievable and may improve physiologic derangements while decreasing patient mortality. Advanced resuscitative care closer to the point of injury warrants consideration.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic/Care Management; Level IV.

Implementation of a prehospital whole blood program: Lessons learned

Early blood administration by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to patients suffering from hemorrhagic shock improves outcomes. Prehospital blood programs represent an invaluable resuscitation capability that directly addresses hemorrhagic shock and mitigates subsequent multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Prehospital blood programs must be thoughtfully planned, have multiple safeguards, ensure adequate training and credentialing processes, and be responsible stewards of blood resources. According to the 2022 best practices model by Yazer et al, the four key pillars of a successful prehospital program include the following: (1) the rationale for the use and a description of blood products that can be transfused in the prehospital setting, (2) storage of blood products outside the hospital blood bank and how to move them to the patient in the prehospital setting, (3) prehospital transfusion criteria and administration personnel, and (4) documentation of prehospital transfusion and handover to the hospital team.  This concepts paper describes our operational experience using these four pillars to make Maryland's inaugural prehospital ground-based low-titer O-positive whole blood program successful. These lessons learned may inform other EMS systems as they establish prehospital blood programs to help improve outcomes and enhance mass casualty response.

Characteristics of traumatic major haemorrhage in a tertiary trauma center

BACKGROUND

Major traumatic haemorrhage is potentially preventable with rapid haemorrhage control and improved resuscitation techniques. Although advances in prehospital trauma management, haemorrhage is still associated with high mortality. The aim of this study was to use a recent pragmatic transfusion-based definition of major bleeding to characterize patients at risk of major bleeding and associated outcomes in this cohort after trauma.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study including all trauma patients (n = 7020) admitted to a tertiary trauma center from January 2015 to June 2020. The major bleeding cohort (n = 145) was defined as transfusion of 4 units of any blood components (red blood cells, plasma, or platelets) within 2 h of injury. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors for 24-hour and 30-day mortality post trauma admission.

RESULTS

In the major bleeding cohort (n = 145; 145/7020, 2.1% of the trauma population), there were 77% men (n = 112) and 23% women (n = 33), median age 39 years [IQR 26-53] and median Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 22 [IQR 13-34]. Blunt trauma dominated over penetrating trauma (58% vs. 42%) where high-energy fall was the most common blunt mechanism and knife injury was the most common penetrating mechanism. The major bleeding cohort was younger (OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.98 to 0.998, P = 0.012), less female gender (OR 0.66; 95% CI 0.45 to 0.98, P = 0.04), and had more penetrating trauma (OR 4.54; 95% CI 3.24 to 6.36, P = 0.001) than the rest of the trauma cohort. A prehospital (OR 2.39; 95% CI 1.34 to 4.28; P = 0.003) and emergency department (ED) (OR 6.91; 95% CI 4.49 to 10.66, P = 0.001) systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg was associated with the major bleeding cohort as well as ED blood gas base excess < -3 (OR 7.72; 95% CI 5.37 to 11.11; P < 0.001) and INR > 1.2 (OR 3.09; 95% CI 2.16 to 4.43; P = 0.001). Emergency damage control laparotomy was performed more frequently in the major bleeding cohort (21.4% [n = 31] vs. 1.5% [n = 106]; OR 3.90; 95% CI 2.50 to 6.08; P < 0.001). There was no difference in transportation time from alarm to hospital arrival between the major bleeding cohort and the rest of the trauma cohort (47 [IQR 38;59] vs. 49 [IQR 40;62] minutes; P = 0.17). However, the major bleeding cohort had a shorter time from ED to first emergency procedure (71.5 [IQR 10.0;129.0] vs. 109.00 [IQR 54.0; 259.0] minutes, P < 0.001). In the major bleeding cohort, patients with penetrating trauma, compared to blunt trauma, had a shorter alarm to hospital arrival time (44.0 [IQR 35.5;54.0] vs. 50.0 [IQR 41.5;61.0], P = 0.013). The 24-hour mortality in the major bleeding cohort was 6.9% (10/145). All fatalities were due to blunt trauma; 40% (4/10) high energy fall, 20% (2/10) motor vehicle accident, 10% (1/10) motorcycle accident, 10% (1/10) traffic pedestrian, 10% (1/10) traffic other, and 10% (1/10) struck/hit by blunt object. In the logistic regression model, prehospital cardiac arrest (OR 83.4; 95% CI 3.37 to 2063; P = 0.007) and transportation time (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91 to 0.99, P = 0.02) were associated with 24-hour mortality.

RESULTS

Early identification of patients at high risk of major bleeding is challenging but essential for rapid definitive haemorrhage control. The major bleeding trauma cohort is a small part of the entire trauma population, and is characterized of being younger, male gender, higher ISS, and exposed to more penetrating trauma. Early identification of patients at high risk of major bleeding is challenging but essential for rapid definitive haemorrhage control.

Management of non-compressible torso hemorrhage of the abdomen in civilian and military austere environments: a scoping review

Background

Non-compressible abdominal hemorrhage (NCAH) is the leading cause of potentially preventable deaths in both civilian and military austere environments, and an improvement in mortality due to this problem has not been demonstrated during the past quarter century. Several innovations have been developed to control hemorrhage closer to the point of injury.

Objective

This review assessed NCAH interventions in civilian and military settings, focusing on austere environments. It identified innovations, effectiveness, and knowledge gaps for future research.

Methodology

The Joanna Briggs Institute for Evidence Synthesis methodology guided this scoping review to completion. Studies evaluating NCAH with human participants in civilian and military austere environments that were eligible for inclusion were limited to English language studies published between December 1990 and January 2023. The PCC (Participant, Concept, Context) framework was used for data synthesis. Deductive and inductive thematic analyses were used to assess the literature that met inclusion criteria, identify patterns/themes to address the research questions and identify common themes within the literature. A stakeholder consultation was conducted to review and provide expert perspectives and opinions on the results of the deductive and inductive thematic analyses.

Results

The literature search identified 868 articles; 26 articles met the inclusion criteria. Textual narrative analysis of the 26 articles resulted in the literature addressing four main categories: NCAH, penetrating abdominal trauma, resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA), and ResQFoam. The deductive thematic analysis aimed to answer three research questions. Research question 1 addressed the effectiveness of REBOA, damage control resuscitation, and damage control surgery in managing NCAH in austere environments. No effectiveness studies were found on this topic. Research question 2 identified three knowledge gaps in NCAH management in austere environments. The analysis identified early hemorrhage control, prehospital provider decision-making ability, and REBOA implementation as knowledge gaps in NCAH. Research question 3 identified five innovations that may affect the management of NCAH in the future: transport of patients, advanced resuscitative care, expert consultation, REBOA implementation, and self-expanding foam implementation. The inductive thematic analysis resulted in four recurrent themes from the literature: prehospital care, decision-making, hemorrhage control, and mortality in NCAH. During the stakeholders' consultation, the results of the deductive and inductive thematic analyses were reviewed and agreed on by the stakeholders. Special emphasis and discussion were given to prehospital management, expert opinions in the prehospital environment, decision-making in the prehospital environment, transport and resuscitation in the prehospital setting, REBOA, alternative discussion for research, and research gaps.

Conclusion

NCAH is still a significant cause of preventable death in both military and civilian austere environments, even with ongoing research and interventions aimed at extending survival in such conditions. This scoping review has identified several potential concepts that could reduce the mortality associated with a preventable cause of death due to hemorrhage in austere environments.

Management and outcomes of firearm-related vascular injuries

BACKGROUND

Violence due to firearms is a major global public health issue and vascular injuries from firearms are particularly lethal. The aim of this study was to analyse population-based epidemiology of firearm-related vascular injuries.

METHODS

This was a retrospective nationwide epidemiological study including all patients with firearm injuries from the national Swedish Trauma Registry (SweTrau) from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2019. There were 71,879 trauma patients registered during the study period, of which 1010 patients were identified with firearm injuries (1.4%), and 162 (16.0%) patients with at least one firearm-related vascular injury.

RESULTS

There were 162 patients admitted with 238 firearm-related vascular injuries, 96.9% men (n = 157), median age 26.0 years [IQR 22-33]. There was an increase in vascular firearm injuries over time (P < 0.005). The most common anatomical vascular injury location was lower extremity (41.7%) followed by abdomen (18.9%) and chest (18.9%). The dominating vascular injuries were common femoral artery (17.6%, 42/238), superficial femoral artery (7.1%, 17/238), and iliac artery (7.1%, 17/238). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 90 mmHg or no palpable radial pulse in the emergency department was seen in 37.7% (58/154) of patients. The most common vascular injuries in this cohort with hemodynamic instability were thoracic aorta 16.5% (16/97), femoral artery 10.3% (10/97), inferior vena cava 7.2% (7/97), lung vessels 6.2% (6/97) and iliac vessels 5.2% (5/97). There were 156 registered vascular surgery procedures including vascular suturing (22%, 34/156) and bypass/interposition graft (21%, 32/156). Endovascular stent was placed in five patients (3.2%). The 30-day and 90-day mortality was 29.9% (50/162) and 33.3% (54/162), respectively. Most deaths (79.6%; 43/54) were within 24-h of injury. In the multivariate regression analysis, vascular injury to chest (P < 0.001) or abdomen (P = 0.002) and injury specifically to thoracic aorta (P < 0.001) or femoral artery (P = 0.022) were associated with 24-h mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Firearm-related vascular injuries caused significant morbidity and mortality. The lower extremity was the most common injury location but vascular injuries to chest and abdomen were most lethal. Improved early hemorrhage control strategies seem critical for better outcome.

Advances in the Management of Coagulopathy in Trauma: The Role of Viscoelastic Hemostatic Assays across All Phases of Trauma Care

Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death following injury. Trauma-induced coagulopathy can manifest as diverse phenotypes ranging from hypocoagulability to hypercoagulability, which can change quickly during the acute phase of trauma care. The major advances in understanding coagulation over the past 25 years have resulted from the cell-based concept, emphasizing the key role of platelets and their interaction with the damaged endothelium. Consequently, conventional plasma-based coagulation testing is not accurate in predicting bleeding and does not provide an assessment of which blood products are indicated. Viscoelastic hemostatic assays (VHA), conducted in whole blood, have emerged as a superior method to guide goal-directed transfusion. The major change in resuscitation has been the shift from unbridled crystalloid loading to judicious balanced blood product administration. Furthermore, the recognition of the rapid changes from hypocoagulability to hypercoagulability has underscored the importance of ongoing surveillance beyond emergent surgery. While the benefits of VHA testing are maximized when used as early as possible, current technology limits use in the pre-hospital setting and the time to results compromises its utility in the emergency department. Thus, most of the reported experience with VHA in trauma is in the operating room and intensive care unit, where there is compelling data to support its value. This overview will address the current and potential role of VHA in the seriously injured patient, throughout the continuum of trauma management.