Every second counts towards survival when a patient is bleeding uncontrollably.
A new machine at Mackay Base Hospital will soon help clinicians make decisions on how to treat these patients by providing important information about blood.
Intensive Care Unit Staff Specialist Dr Anni Paasilahti said that the Rotational Thromboelastometry (ROTEM) machine would help diagnose the cause of massive bleeding.
“These could be patients who are bleeding because of a massive trauma such as a road accident, complications of child birth or other surgery,” she said.
The $38,000 machine helps to guide which blood products are needed more accurately than the previous tests used.
In some cases this will reduce the use of precious blood products by 75%.
“When a patient is bleeding significantly, the blood stops clotting properly. The ROTEM results are rapidly available which leads to faster correction of the clotting system. This will use less blood products and reduce the risk of complications for patients,” Dr Paasilahti said.
“With every blood transfusion there is the potential for a complication so being able to reduce this is a benefit. Patients who receive large transfusions face extra risks.”
The machine tests blood samples rapidly and quickly identifies the cause of the bleeding, the strength of blood clotting and abnormalities in the blood.
Dr Paasilahti said the ROTEM system was a major advance in the treatment of bleeding and meant patients were given less but more accurately directed bloods products.
The ROTEM is particularly useful in time critical situations such as traumas giving information more rapidly and accurately than traditional blood tests.
“The test time is typically 10-20 minutes and the analyses will be repeated 10 minutes after administration of coagulation (blood clotting) factors or blood products to guide further management,” she said.
“It provides fast and efficient management of excessive bleeding which is vital for a positive outcome.”
Pathology Queensland stores and prepares the blood products urgently needed for massive transfusions at Mackay Base Hospital.
Different blood products do different jobs. Clinicians have a choice of using platelets, cryoprecipitate, fresh frozen plasma or red cells.
Pathology Queensland scientist Ross Martin said that before the ROTEM machine Pathology Queensland would thaw a large quantity of different frozen blood products to use in an emergency.
“Now ROTEM guides the clinician as to what product to use and approximately how much the patient needs of each product. This means more appropriate blood products are used.”
“That’s a significant saving when we have had patients who need up to 130 bags of blood product at a time,” he said.
Mr Martin said any technology that identifies the best use of donated blood products was welcome.
“Blood is a precious resource that is donated by the community. We look after it very carefully. The ROTEM machine will help preserve this resource,” he said.
“If we use less in traumas there will be more blood available for other patients such as those with burns or having chemotherapy.”
Clinical simulations are running this week in the Emergency Department, Theatre and ICU. Following the training, the machine will then be available to use.
Photo: Supplied by ABC Tropical North
More Information
Danielle Jesser, Media and Communications Manager
mhhs-comms@health.qld.gov.au
Phone 0417 756 221
