Trial of drug to prevent blood loss may include trauma patients in Minnesota without consent

The new federally funded study is known as CAVALIERan acronym for calcium and vasopressin after early trauma resuscitation. The drugs in the study are effective but have an established safety profile, so earlier use is unlikely to lead to complications or side effects, Puskarich said. However, he said, paramedics and emergency room doctors are busy dealing with trauma cases, so the key question is whether earlier drug use will improve outcomes or simply create a distraction that slows down treatment teams.

The Twin Cities regularly participated in trauma research through research from Hennepin and the University of Minnesota Medical Center and Regional Hospital in St. Paul.

Other emergency studies have also eliminated the usual process of obtaining prior consent from patients. They include HOBIT testwhich is being conducted at Hennepin Healthcare and collaborating hospitals in Iowa and Nebraska to see if hyperbaric oxygen therapy can reduce damage from traumatic brain injuries. U Hospital, along with M Health Fairview’s Southdale Hospital in Edina, are participating in the national FASTEST test to study whether drug treatment of cerebral hemorrhage can improve outcomes after stroke.