NIH grant funds multi-center study of mysterious trauma-induced hemorrhaging

A new five-year, $23.8 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant will support a multi-center, multidisciplinary study on a deadly bleeding syndrome – called coagulopathy – that occurs without warning in some trauma patients. Led by University of Vermont (UVM) Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry Kenneth Mann, Ph.D., the TACTIC (Trans-Agency Consortium for Trauma-Induced Coagulopathy) study is a cooperative effort funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute that establishes a unique collaboration between the NIH and the Department of Defense.

Trauma is the major cause of death in people less than 34 years old and the third leading cause of mortality in the U.S., with uncontrollable hemorrhage representing the major cause of preventable deaths, according to the NIH. Each year there are nearly 50 million injuries in the U.S. that result in 170,000 deaths.

Little is known about the biological phenomena that lead to coagulopathy. When a person sustains a traumatic injury, whether on the battlefield or in a car accident, he/she typically suffers serious physical damage. Doctors treat the injuries and, if all goes well, the patient gradually heals. However, some patients, regardless of proper treatment, can suddenly suffer from uncontrolled bleeding and die. It is believed that the shock from the trauma induces a "storm" of coagulation and inflammatory problems that prevent their blood from clotting.

"There are no analytical tools that allow emergency department staff to conclude that coagulopathy is occurring in trauma victims – we're starting from 'ground zero,'" Mann explains. "The physicians and staff are left without resources to guide an effective therapeutic approach," he adds.

This trans-agency endeavor links the NHLBI-supported TACTIC program with Department of Defense (DoD) clinical trauma research centers in a unique initiative that integrates laboratory, clinical and early translational, hypothesis-driven research by leading investigators across the country and enable the basic science investigative units to explore clinical specimens obtained from the DoD centers.

Provided by University of Vermont