Safety of Platelet Transfusion in Patients on Antiplatelet Therapy With Traumatic Head Injury

Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), or bleeding in the brain, is the major cause of death in trauma patients. The initial volume and early growth of the hematoma are critical determinants of mortality and functional outcome. As our population ages, a significant and growing number of patients present with ICH while on antiplatelet therapy. Bleeding is a well known complication of this therapy. It is likely that patients with ICH who are exposed to antiplatelet therapy would have an increased risk of hemorrhage growth and poor outcome compared to patients that are not using antiplatelet therapy. There are no pharmacologic agents that can reverse the antithrombotic effect of aspirin or the thienopyridines. There is a paucity of published data, one small phase one trial and two retrospective studies that address the use of platelets as a means to reverse the effects of antiplatelet therapy in patients suffering ICH. In addition, transfusion of platelets may be associated with transfusion reactions, such as infection and fluid overload. Furthermore, these patients are then exposed to the very thromboembolic complications the antiplatelet therapy was designed to prevent. Given the lack of data, which is primarily retrospective and likely underpowered, The investigators feel it's important to conduct a trial to more definitively study the efficacy of antiplatelet reversal in patients with life threatening ICH. Furthermore, it would be important to understand that, if there is a benefit to antiplatelet reversal in patients with ICH, that this benefit will outweigh the risks of antiplatelet reversal.