Biomedical subjects

Sandro Scarpelini

Publications and source records attributed to Sandro Scarpelini.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Pro/con debate: does recombinant factor VIIa have a role to play in the treatment of patients with acute nontraumatic hemorrhage?

Perhaps it is not surprising that in the critical care environment, where lives are frequently on the line, off-label use of certain drugs is relatively common. In general, there are two camps of opinion on this type of utilization. One camp would suggest that potentially life saving products cannot ethically be withheld from patients who may benefit. The other camp would counter that it is inappropriate to administer products if the risk/benefit ratio has not been clearly defined in clinical trials. Off-label use of factor VII is debated in this issue of Critical Care for a patient with uncontrolled nontraumatic hemorrhage. Perhaps this product promotes additional discussion given that its ability to control bleeding can be dramatic, yet its costs and potential for complications high.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2006

Recombinant factor VIIa and the surgical patient.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Bleeding remains a challenge in surgery. A unique drug, recombinant factor VIIa, causes clotting exclusively at bleeding sites. Recombinant factor VIIa has recently been introduced to surgery where current evidence, consisting mostly of case reports, suggest remarkable safety and efficacy. The first randomized controlled trials are only now being published with less remarkable results. This manuscript summarizes the current evidence. RECENT FINDINGS: In trauma, a single randomized control trial suggests recombinant factor VIIa reduces bleeding and transfusion in blunt trauma, particularly in coagulopathic patients. In cardiac surgery, one randomized control trial, open-label studies and case reports suggest benefit in refractory bleeding. For liver surgery, randomized control trials do not support use in liver transplant or gastrointestinal bleeding. In neurosurgery, one randomized control trial demonstrated improved outcome in intracerebral hemorrhage. In urology, one randomized control trial demonstrated significant reduction in perioperative bleeding. For orthopedics, a single randomized control trial showed no benefit in pelvic/acetabular surgery. In obstetrics/gynecology, limited evidence suggests benefit in massive bleedings. SUMMARY: Current evidence does not yet support recombinant factor VIIa as standard of care in surgery. However, the evidence indicates that recombinant factor VIIa should be used in intracerebral hemorrhage and massive perioperative or traumatic bleeding refractory to conventional therapies. For now, the bedside decision to use recombinant factor VIIa remains a matter of surgical judgment.

Coagulants↗

PubMed2006

Hepatic injury.

Hepatic trauma occurs in approximately 5% of all admissions in emergency rooms. The anatomic location and the size of the liver make the organ even more susceptible to trauma and frequently in penetrating injuries. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma established a detailed classification system that provides for uniform comparisons of hepatic injury. Diagnosis of hepatic injury can be sometimes easy; however the use diagnostic modalities as diagnostic peritoneal lavage, ultrasound and computed tomography allow faster and more accurate diagnosis. Nonoperative management of the hemodynamically stable patient with blunt injury has become the standard of care in most trauma centers. Few penetrating abdominal lesions allow conservative management; exceptions can be some penetrating wounds to right upper abdominal quadrant. Operative treatment of minor liver injuries requires no fixation or can only be managed with eletrocautery or little sutures. Major liver injuries continue, despite technical advances, a challenge to surgeons. Many procedures can be done as direct repair, debridement associated to resections, or even in more severe lesions, packing. This constitutes a damage control which can allow time to recovery of patient and decreasing mortality shortly after trauma.

Abdominal Injuries↗

PubMed2005

The TRISS method applied to the victims of traffic accidents attended at a tertiary level emergency hospital in a developing country.

In Brazil, trauma occupies third place among the various causes of death and is the first cause of death among young people. Among the various approaches to the study of trauma, analysis of the organisation and quality of care has been frequently reported in the literature. The objective of the present study was to assess the quality of care for victims of trauma due to traffic accidents provided at the Emergency Unit of the University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. The quality of care was compared between two different periods, i.e., before and after the introduction of modifications in prehospital care, and was also compared to the North American standards of the Major Trauma Outcome Study (MTOS). The Trauma Score and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) was used to calculate the probability of survival and the Z statistic was used for comparison with the MTOS. During both periods studied, the results were inferior to those obtained by the MTOS, although positive signs were detected at the Emergency Unit regarding the organisation of the system of trauma care during the study period.

Accidents, Traffic↗