ANTI-FIBRINOLYTIC AGENTS IN TRAUMATIC HAEMORRHAGE A large scale randomized controlled trial is needed

For people at ages 5 to 45 years, trauma is second only to HIV/AIDS as a cause of death. Each year, worldwide, over three million people die as a result of trauma, many after reaching hospital.1 Among trauma patients who do survive to reach hospital, exsan-guination is a common cause of death, ac-counting for nearly half of in-hospital trauma deaths.2 Central nervous system injury and multi-organ failure account for most of the re-mainder, both of which can be exacerbated by severe bleeding.3 The haemostatic system helps to maintain the integrity of the circulatory system after severe vascular injury, whether traumatic or surgical in origin.4 Major surgery and trauma trigger similar haemostatic responses and any conse-quent massive blood loss presents an extrem