Hypocalcemia and Massive Blood Transfusions: A Pilot Study in a Level I Trauma Center

Area of Science:

• Traumatology
• Critical Care Medicine
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Uncontrolled hemorrhage is a leading cause of trauma mortality.
• Massive transfusions are lifesaving but can lead to hypocalcemia due to citrate in blood products.
• Hypocalcemia during resuscitation can cause adverse physiological effects, yet monitoring and replacement are often overlooked.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the knowledge of trauma department employees regarding calcium monitoring and replacement during massive transfusions.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention in improving this knowledge.

Main Methods:

• A pretest was administered to assess baseline knowledge.
• A short, animated educational video on calcium monitoring and replacement was developed and distributed.
• A posttest was administered after the video intervention.

Main Results:

• The posttest scores were significantly higher than the pretest scores (p = .001).
• The educational intervention demonstrated effectiveness in enhancing staff knowledge.

Conclusions:

• Lack of standardized national guidelines and insufficient staff knowledge contribute to hypocalcemia during massive transfusions.
• Innovative educational tools, like animated videos, are effective for improving healthcare professionals' understanding and patient care in critical situations.