Clinical Randomisation of an Antifibrinolytic in Significant Haemorrhage

Summary

CRASH 2 is a large pragmatic randomised placebo controlled trial of the effects of the early administration of the antifibrinolytic agent tranexamic acid on death, vascular events and transfusion requirements. Adults with trauma who are within 8 hours of injury and have either significant haemorrhage, or who are considered to be at risk of significant haemorrhage, are eligible if the responsible doctor is for any reason substantially uncertain whether or not to use an antifibrinolytic agent. Numbered drug or placebo packs will be available in each participating emergency department. Randomisation will involve calling a 24-hour freecall randomisation service. The call should last only a minute or two and at the end of it the randomisation service will specify which numbered treatment pack to use. For hospitals where telephone randomisation is not feasible, randomisation will be by taking the next consecutively numbered treatment pack. No extra tests are required but a short form must be completed one month later or on discharge or on death (whichever occurs first).

Timeline

Start

2005-05

Primary completion

2010-02

Completion

2010-03

Publications

• Background Coats T, Hunt B, Roberts I, Shakur H. Antifibrinolytic agents in traumatic haemorrhage. PLoS Med. 2005 Mar;2(3):e64. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0020064. Epub 2005 Mar 29.
• Edgar K, Roberts I, Sharples L. Including random centre effects in design, analysis and presentation of multi-centre trials. Trials. 2021 May 22;22(1):357. doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05266-w.
• Kolin DA, Shakur-Still H, Bello A, Chaudhri R, Bates I, Roberts I. Risk factors for blood transfusion in traumatic and postpartum hemorrhage patients: Analysis of the CRASH-2 and WOMAN trials. PLoS One. 2020 Jun 3;15(6):e0233274. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233274. eCollection 2020.
• Nishijima DK, Kuppermann N, Roberts I, VanBuren JM, Tancredi DJ. The Effect of Tranexamic Acid on Functional Outcomes: An Exploratory Analysis of the CRASH-2 Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Emerg Med. 2019 Jul;74(1):79-87. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2018.11.018. Epub 2019 Jan 12.
• Roberts I, Edwards P, Prieto D, Joshi M, Mahmood A, Ker K, Shakur H. Tranexamic acid in bleeding trauma patients: an exploration of benefits and harms. Trials. 2017 Jan 31;18(1):48. doi: 10.1186/s13063-016-1750-1.
• Roberts I, Prieto-Merino D, Manno D. Mechanism of action of tranexamic acid in bleeding trauma patients: an exploratory analysis of data from the CRASH-2 trial. Crit Care. 2014 Dec 13;18(6):685. doi: 10.1186/s13054-014-0685-8.
• Meurer WJ. Tranexamic acid reduced mortality in trauma patients who were bleeding or at risk for bleeding. Ann Intern Med. 2013 Sep 17;159(6):JC3. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-159-6-201309170-02003. No abstract available.
• Roberts I, Shakur H, Coats T, Hunt B, Balogun E, Barnetson L, Cook L, Kawahara T, Perel P, Prieto-Merino D, Ramos M, Cairns J, Guerriero C. The CRASH-2 trial: a randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation of the effects of tranexamic acid on death, vascular occlusive events and transfusion requirement in bleeding trauma patients. Health Technol Assess. 2013 Mar;17(10):1-79. doi: 10.3310/hta17100.
• Williams-Johnson JA, McDonald AH, Strachan GG, Williams EW. Effects of tranexamic acid on death, vascular occlusive events, and blood transfusion in trauma patients with significant haemorrhage (CRASH-2) A randomised, placebo-controlled trial. West Indian Med J. 2010 Dec;59(6):612-24.
• Guerriero C, Cairns J, Perel P, Shakur H, Roberts I; CRASH 2 trial collaborators. Cost-effectiveness analysis of administering tranexamic acid to bleeding trauma patients using evidence from the CRASH-2 trial. PLoS One. 2011 May 3;6(5):e18987. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018987.
• CRASH-2 collaborators; Roberts I, Shakur H, Afolabi A, Brohi K, Coats T, Dewan Y, Gando S, Guyatt G, Hunt BJ, Morales C, Perel P, Prieto-Merino D, Woolley T. The importance of early treatment with tranexamic acid in bleeding trauma patients: an exploratory analysis of the CRASH-2 randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2011 Mar 26;377(9771):1096-101, 1101.e1-2. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60278-X.
• CRASH-2 trial collaborators; Shakur H, Roberts I, Bautista R, Caballero J, Coats T, Dewan Y, El-Sayed H, Gogichaishvili T, Gupta S, Herrera J, Hunt B, Iribhogbe P, Izurieta M, Khamis H, Komolafe E, Marrero MA, Mejia-Mantilla J, Miranda J, Morales C, Olaomi O, Olldashi F, Perel P, Peto R, Ramana PV, Ravi RR, Yutthakasemsunt S. Effects of tranexamic acid on death, vascular occlusive events, and blood transfusion in trauma patients with significant haemorrhage (CRASH-2): a randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2010 Jul 3;376(9734):23-32. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60835-5. Epub 2010 Jun 14.

Drugs

Indications