Injury is the leading cause of death and the second highest contributor to the burden of disease of Australians aged between 12 and 24 years. One of the contributing factors to trauma death is the inability for the injured patient to clot properly. Studies have shown that in approximately 10-50% of trauma patients the blood does not clot properly, with patients exhibiting abnormal clotting up to 4 times more likely to die from their injuries.
This study aims to estimate the proportion of injured patients with clotting problems at the time paramedics treat them. The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) High Acuity Response Unit (HARU) currently services the Greater Brisbane area and will commence operations on the Gold Coast Area in the latter half of 2015. The HARU provides advanced trauma interventions including blood transfusions and ultrasound scans to detect internal bleeding. In 2014 the HARU treated approximately 370 moderate to severely injured patients in the Greater Brisbane area.
In this study, HARU team members will take blood from patients during their treatment in the field. The blood will then be analysed to see if there are any clotting abnormalities. They will also perform a quick screening blood test in the field to see if this screening test corresponds to the laboratory analysis.
Identifying which patients are not clotting properly prior to hospital arrival may pave the way for life saving treatment to be started on the way to hospital, and for rapid intervention on arrival at hospital.
- $65,000 In-Kind Support