Trauma is still amongst the most prevalent causes of death worldwide, leading to several million casualties per year. Most of these deaths result from bleeding and occur in the first few hours after injury. Upon arrival in the emergency room around a quarter of severely injured patients present with a disturbance of blood coagulation, a so called coagulopathy. This phenomenon is independently associated with mortality, massive transfusion requirement, septic complications, and ventilator free days.
Early intervention has shown to be beneficial for patients and might eventually save lifes. We are therefore interested in diagnostic approaches that facilitate the early discovery and goal-directed therapy of coagulopathy. Amongst other advances in the field, our group has also shaped the term ‘theragnostics’, a coinage of the words ‘therapy’ and ‘diagnostics’.
Coagulopathy emerges at the interface between coagulation and inflammation and enfolds various plasmatic and cellular components. Another main focus is therefore the impact of endothelial cells on the pathophysiology of haemostasis. Our group is hence tightly networked with the endothelial cell group of Dr. Holnthoner and pursues a vast diversity of research questions.