Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Media Relations >
  • News Releases >
  • 100520 Tranexamic Acid
Media Relations
News Releases
Central Pa. News
North Central Pa. News
Contact Us
Experts
Community-Focused News
Media Kits
Media RSS
Media Relations
News Releases
Central Pa. News
North Central Pa. News
Contact Us
Experts
Community-Focused News
Media Kits
Media RSS

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Pitt Trauma Experts Aim to Reduce Death With Blood-Clotting Agent

For Journalists

Taylor Andres
Communications Specialist II
412-592-7406
andresta@upmc.edu

Sarah Katz
Manager
412-864-4370
KatzSB@upmc.edu

Want to Make an Appointment or Need Patient Information?
Contact UPMC at

1-800-533-8762.

Go to Find a Doctor to search for a UPMC doctor.

2021 PITT HS stacked

10/5/2020

PITTSBURGH – Severely injured trauma patients who received a blood-clotting drug before arriving at the hospital had a better chance of surviving than those who didn’t, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The results will be reported at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2020 and published in JAMA Surgery.

 

The multi-center trial, which took place over four years in Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Arizona, was designed to determine whether giving tranexamic acid, a blood-clotting agent, to trauma patients before they arrived at the hospital improved patients’ chance of survival. Over the trial period, researchers found that while the drug is safe, it did not significantly reduce 30-day mortality in the majority of patients at risk of hemorrhage following their injuries.

 

Francis Guyette releaseHowever, “in certain subgroups who got the drug very early—within the first hour—or who had severe shock with a blood pressure less than 70 when the paramedics arrived, there was an improvement in survival,” said lead author, Francis X. Guyette, M.D., associate professor of emergency medicine at Pitt and UPMC emergency physician.

 

The 903 participants in the study were enrolled from emergency calls where patients were at risk of bleeding from trauma. Half got the tranexamic acid treatment, and half got a placebo of saline. 

 

When paramedics arrive at a scene, it’s hard to know the full extent of a patient’s injuries, making it difficult to determine the level of trauma they’ve experienced, so the study used simple measurements to enroll patients in the trial.

 

Jason Sperry release“The prehospital environment is very unknown,” said senior author Jason Sperry, M.D., professor of surgery at Pitt and UPMC trauma surgeon. “All you have is some vital signs and you know they have been injured. Tranexamic acid was given to just about everybody if they had either a high heart rate or low blood pressure.”

 

Tranexamic acid is commonly used in cardiac surgery to help stop bleeding, but previous studies have suggested that the drug may pose risks—including blood clots and strokes—to patients suffering from severe injuries. However, among the severely injured patients in this study who received the drug, none had more risk of these side effects than those who didn’t receive the drug. This result suggests tranexamic acid may be safer and more beneficial to trauma patients than originally thought.  

 

Since tranexamic acid is delivered through an IV, it’s easy to stock in emergency vehicles. It’s also affordable, so paramedics are less likely to ration it for the patients who they suspect have the worst injuries.

 

“Given that tranexamic acid is safe and has benefit in these subgroups of patients, if we can give it early and give it to all patients with severe injury in the field, we should,” said Guyette. “Even though it benefits a few percent of trauma patients, that works out to thousands of patients per year whose lives could be saved.”

 

Guyette and Sperry hope that their findings will be used to modify guidelines for paramedics. 

 

Additional authors on this research are Joshua B. Brown, M.D., M.Sc., Mazen S. Zenati, M.D., Ph.D., Barbara J. Early-Young, B.S.N., and Peter W. Adams, B.S., all of Pitt; Brian J. Eastridge, M.D., of the University of Texas Health San Antonio; Raminder Nirula, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Utah; Gary A. Vercruysse, M.D., of the University of Michigan; Terence O'Keeffe, M.D., of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University; and Bellal A. Joseph, M.D., of the University of Arizona.

 

This research was funded by U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command grant W81XWH 13-2-0080. 
PHOTO INFO: (click images for high-res versions)

 

CREDIT BOTH: UPMC

 

Top:

CAPTION: Francis X. Guyette, M.D., associate professor of emergency medicine at Pitt and UPMC emergency physician.

 

Bottom:

CAPTION: Jason Sperry, M.D., professor of surgery at Pitt and UPMC trauma surgeon.

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login