Blood tests during a disaster

[Jean-Pierre Arsenault]

Isn't the X-match the only REALLY necessary test, as it is the only one who will potentially avoid death (if you give blood).  All the other tests will help you decide where you're going, but as a whole and combined with the other informations, not as a single test.  You're not going to avoid giving blood to an shocked bleeding patient just because his Hb/Hct is normal.  
I think we ask them in everyday trauma because 1) each of them can be an indicator of the severity of the case when other information is contradictory (a good example is base deficit), and 2) we have to face it, medicine pushes us to ask a bunch of tests all the time, to the point of creating iatrogenic anemia (especially on medicine wards!). But I think the first point is more important!

JP Arsenault
community surgeon
Rivière-du-Loup, Québec

----- Original Message ----
From: Ian Seppelt <SeppelI at wahs.nsw.gov.au>
To: joe.nemeth at mcgill.ca; trauma-list at trauma.org
Sent: Wednesday, January 17, 2007 10:09:58 PM
Subject: Blood tests during a disaster

Following this to get some discussion going ....

In a disaster situation [or even just a trauma surge in your ED] what
are the minimum laboratory requirements / blood tests? Just a Hb / Hct
and cross match? What else is REALLY necessary, and why? Lactate? And if
you don't need all the other tests in a surge situation, then why do you
need them in "everyday" trauma??

Cheers, Ian


Ian Seppelt FANZCA FJFICM
Senior Staff Specialist
Dept of Intensive Care Medicine
The Nepean Hospital, PO Box 63 Penrith NSW 2751
Clinical Lecturer, University of Sydney

>>> joe.nemeth at mcgill.ca 18/01/2007 1:40pm >>>

Question/Survey....

J Trauma Jan 2007....article from Hermann...

who uses 1:1 from the get go? i.e. in the ED/trauma bay...

joe
Emergency Medicine
McGill University
Montreal
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