Tranexamic acid

About the podcast

Our contributor to this episode is Prof Ian Roberts, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the London School of Hygeine and Tropical Medicine. Formerly a consultant paediatrician, Prof Roberts is internationally renowned for his work with tranexamic acid (TXA) and was the lead investigator on the CRASH2 trial and was heavily involved in both the WOMAN and CRASH3 trials for the use of TXA in obstetric bleeding and traumatic brain injury respectively.

The use of TXA in trauma has become so ingrained in practice that it is easy to dismiss it as ‘part of the process’. However, as Prof Roberts goes through, TXA is one of the interventions we have that has robust evidence that it substantially reduces mortality in the trauma patient and is likely one of the most important things we can do to improve survival.

Prof Roberts takes us through a short history of tranexamic acid, followed by the trials that gave us the evidence base for its use (both in trauma and in obstetrics).

This podcast does go a little beyond the scope of the level 1 and 2 Major Trauma Nursing competencies but we would encourage everyone to listen to Prof Roberts dicussion on the work he and others have done.

Tranexamic Acid (TXA) – ThePTN podcast

Prof Ian Roberts is a Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the London School of Hygeine & Tropical Medicine. Internationally renowned for his work on TXA, Prof Roberts was lead investigator in the CRASH2 and heavily involved in the WOMAN and CRASH3 trials. Tim discussed the history and current evidence with the use of TXA in trauma.

Learning areas in this podcast:

  • Understands why Tranexamic Acid is given to trauma patients and how it is administered

Links:
The importance of early treatment with tranexamic acid in bleeding trauma patients: an exploratory analysis of the CRASH-2 randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, Volume 377, Issue 9771, 1101.e1 – 1101.e2 here.

CRASH-3: a win for patients with traumatic brain injury. Cap, Andrew P. The Lancet, Volume 394, Issue 10210, 1687 – 1688b here.

Effect of early tranexamic acid administration on mortality, hysterectomy, and other morbidities in women with post-partum haemorrhage (WOMAN): an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial Shakur, Haleema et al. The Lancet, Volume 389, Issue 10084, 2105 – 2116 here.

Cochrane injuries homepage here.

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