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	<front>
		<journal-meta>
			<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">rca</journal-id>
			<journal-title-group>
				<journal-title>Revista Colombiana de Anestesiología</journal-title>
				<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="publisher">Rev. colomb. anestesiol.</abbrev-journal-title>
			</journal-title-group>
			<issn pub-type="ppub">0120-3347</issn>
			<publisher>
				<publisher-name>SCARE-Sociedad Colombiana de Anestesiología y Reanimación</publisher-name>
			</publisher>
		</journal-meta>
		<article-meta>
			<article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">00017</article-id>
			<article-categories>
				<subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
					<subject>LETTER TO THE EDITOR</subject>
				</subj-group>
			</article-categories>
			<title-group>
				<article-title>Thorough epidemiological studies are required to guide further improvements in hemorrhage management</article-title>
				<trans-title-group xml:lang="es">
					<trans-title>Se requieren estudios epidemiológicos a profundidad a fin de orientar un mejor manejo de la hemorragia</trans-title>
				</trans-title-group>
			</title-group>
			<contrib-group>
				<contrib contrib-type="author">
					<name>
						<surname>Muggleton</surname>
						<given-names>Ellis</given-names>
					</name>
					<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>a</sup></xref>
					<xref ref-type="corresp" rid="c1"><sup>*</sup></xref>
				</contrib>
				<contrib contrib-type="author">
					<name>
						<surname>Muggleton</surname>
						<given-names>Tülin</given-names>
					</name>
					<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1_1"><sup>a</sup></xref>
				</contrib>
				<aff id="aff1">
					<label>a</label>
					<institution content-type="original"> Department of Anesthesiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Münich, München, Germany</institution>
					<institution content-type="orgdiv1">Department of Anesthesiology</institution>
					<institution content-type="orgname">Technical University of Münich</institution>
					<addr-line>
						<named-content content-type="city">München</named-content>
					</addr-line>
					<country country="DE">Germany</country>
				</aff>
				<aff id="aff1_1">
					<label>a</label>
					<institution content-type="original"> Department of Anesthesiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Münich, München, Germany</institution>
					<institution content-type="orgdiv1">Department of Anesthesiology</institution>
					<institution content-type="orgname">Technical University of Münich</institution>
					<addr-line>
						<named-content content-type="city">München</named-content>
					</addr-line>
					<country country="DE">Germany</country>
				</aff>
			</contrib-group>
			<author-notes>
				<corresp id="c1">
					<label><sup>*</sup></label> Correspondence: 22 Ismaningerstrasse, 81675 Munich, Germany. E-mail: Ellis.muggleton@gmail.com</corresp>
			</author-notes>
			<pub-date pub-type="epub-ppub">
				<season>Jan-Apr</season>
				<year>2018</year>
			</pub-date>
			<volume>46</volume>
			<issue>1</issue>
			<fpage>88</fpage>
			<lpage>88</lpage>
			<permissions>
				<license license-type="open-access" xlink:href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" xml:lang="en">
					<license-p>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License</license-p>
				</license>
			</permissions>
			<counts>
				<fig-count count="0"/>
				<table-count count="0"/>
				<equation-count count="0"/>
				<ref-count count="3"/>
				<page-count count="1"/>
			</counts>
		</article-meta>
	</front>
	<body>
		<p>The essay by Rincon-Valenzuela et al<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B1"><sup>1</sup></xref> raises excellent points concerning the use of fibrinogen in hemorrhage, and not just in obstetric hemorrhage. The cause-effect relationship between bleeding and fibrinogen has not been adequately examined, and the Bradford Hill criteria are all too often forgotten in modern medicine. It could be argued that, although plausibility can be identified for the use of fibrinogen in bleeding, neither an accurate biological gradient nor experimental proof of the relevance of fibrinogen has been adequately demonstrated in different clinical situations. Even temporality is unclearly demonstrated, because we know that fibrinogen levels fall in the postpartum period even in nonbleeding women. Studies in cardiac surgery<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B2"><sup>2</sup></xref> have, similarly to the Fibrinogen concentrate as initial treatment for Postpartum Haemorrhage trial,<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B3"><sup>3</sup></xref> failed to produce useful data supporting the routine use of fibrinogen. We would like to suggest several factors that need to be considered in future studies. First, the correlation between fibrinogen levels and functional clotting needs to be more clearly delineated and could be achieved by combining fibrinogen level measurements with thromboelastography in specific patient groups. Secondly, the effect on bleeding by adjusting fibrinogen levels to predefined levels in randomized studies needs to be examined. Only then can the relevance of fibrinogen be confirmed. We think it likely that thromboelastography will come to play a much more significant role in the management of bleeding, allowing an individualized management of factor substitution. Only then will the use of fibrinogen as a &quot;magic bullet&quot; end and management become more individualized and appropriate.</p>
	</body>
	<back>
		<ref-list>
			<title>References</title>
			<ref id="B1">
				<label>1</label>
				<mixed-citation>1. Rincon-Valenzuela DA, Bocanegra JC, Guevara J. Fibrinogen and postpartum hemorrhage: association or causality? Rev Colomb Anestesiol 2017;45:136-139.</mixed-citation>
				<element-citation publication-type="journal">
					<person-group person-group-type="author">
						<name>
							<surname>Rincon-Valenzuela</surname>
							<given-names>DA</given-names>
						</name>
						<name>
							<surname>Bocanegra</surname>
							<given-names>JC</given-names>
						</name>
						<name>
							<surname>Guevara</surname>
							<given-names>J</given-names>
						</name>
					</person-group>
					<article-title>Fibrinogen and postpartum hemorrhage association or causality?</article-title>
					<source>Rev Colomb Anestesiol</source>
					<year>2017</year>
					<volume>45</volume>
					<fpage>136</fpage>
					<lpage>139</lpage>
				</element-citation>
			</ref>
			<ref id="B2">
				<label>2</label>
				<mixed-citation>2. Bilecen S, de Groot JA, Kalkman CJ, et al. Effect of fibrinogen concentrate on intraoperative blood loss among patients with intraoperative bleeding during high-risk cardiac surgery: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2017;317:738-747.</mixed-citation>
				<element-citation publication-type="journal">
					<person-group person-group-type="author">
						<name>
							<surname>Bilecen</surname>
							<given-names>S</given-names>
						</name>
						<name>
							<surname>de Groot</surname>
							<given-names>JA</given-names>
						</name>
						<name>
							<surname>Kalkman</surname>
							<given-names>CJ</given-names>
						</name>
					</person-group>
					<article-title>Effect of fibrinogen concentrate on intraoperative blood loss among patients with intraoperative bleeding during high-risk cardiac surgery a randomized clinical trial</article-title>
					<source>JAMA</source>
					<year>2017</year>
					<volume>317</volume>
					<fpage>738</fpage>
					<lpage>747</lpage>
				</element-citation>
			</ref>
			<ref id="B3">
				<label>3</label>
				<mixed-citation>3. Wikkelso AJ, Edwards HM, Afshari A, et al. Pre-emotive treatment with fibrinogen concentrate for postpartum haemorrhage: randomized controlled trial. Br J Anaesth 2015;114:623-633.</mixed-citation>
				<element-citation publication-type="journal">
					<person-group person-group-type="author">
						<name>
							<surname>Wikkelso</surname>
							<given-names>AJ</given-names>
						</name>
						<name>
							<surname>Edwards</surname>
							<given-names>HM</given-names>
						</name>
						<name>
							<surname>Afshari</surname>
							<given-names>A</given-names>
						</name>
					</person-group>
					<article-title>Pre-emotive treatment with fibrinogen concentrate for postpartum haemorrhage randomized controlled trial</article-title>
					<source>Br J Anaesth</source>
					<year>2015</year>
					<volume>114</volume>
					<fpage>623</fpage>
					<lpage>633</lpage>
				</element-citation>
			</ref>
		</ref-list>
		<fn-group>
			<fn fn-type="other" id="fn1">
				<label>How to cite this article:</label>
				<p> Muggleton E, Muggleton T. Thorough epidemiological studies are required to guide further improvements in hemorrhage management. Colomb Anestesiol. 2018;46:88.</p>
			</fn>
			<fn fn-type="other" id="fn2">
				<label>Funding</label>
				<p> The authors did not receive any sponsorship to produce this article.</p>
			</fn>
			<fn fn-type="other" id="fn3">
				<label>Conflicts of interest</label>
				<p> The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.</p>
			</fn>
		</fn-group>
	</back>
	<!---sub-article article-type="translation" id="s1" xml:lang="es">
		<front-stub>
			<article-categories>
				<subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
					<subject>CARTA AL EDITOR</subject>
				</subj-group>
			</article-categories>
			<title-group>
				<article-title>Se requieren estudios epidemiológicos a profundidad a fin de orientar un mejor manejo de la hemorragia</article-title>
			</title-group>
			<contrib-group>
				<contrib contrib-type="author">
					<name>
						<surname>Muggleton</surname>
						<given-names>Ellis</given-names>
					</name>
					<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2"><sup>a</sup></xref>
					<xref ref-type="corresp" rid="c2"><sup>*</sup></xref>
				</contrib>
				<contrib contrib-type="author">
					<name>
						<surname>Muggleton</surname>
						<given-names>Tülin</given-names>
					</name>
					<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2"><sup>a</sup></xref>
				</contrib>
				<aff id="aff2">
					<label>a </label>
					<institution content-type="original">Departmento de Anestesiología, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Münich, Munchen, Germany</institution>
					<institution content-type="orgdiv1">Departmento de Anestesiología</institution>
					<institution content-type="orgname">Technical University of Münich</institution>
					<addr-line>
						<named-content content-type="city">Munchen</named-content>
					</addr-line>
					<country country="DE">Germany</country>
				</aff>
			</contrib-group>
			<author-notes>
				<corresp id="c2">
					<label><sup>*</sup></label> Correspondencia: 22 Ismaningerstrasse, 81675 Munich, Germany. Correo electrónico: Ellis.muggleton@gmail.com</corresp>
			</author-notes>
		</front-stub>
		<body>
			<p>En su ensayo, Rincón-Valenzuela y cois.<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B1"><sup>1</sup></xref> plantean argumentos excelentes con respecto al uso de fibrinógeno para el manejo de la hemorragia, y no solamente la hemorragia obstétrica. A la fecha no se ha examinado adecuadamente la relación de causa y efecto entre el sangrado y el fibrinógeno, y los criterios de Bradford Hill se suelen olvidar con mucha frecuencia en la medicina moderna. Podría decirse que si bien es plausible el uso del fibrinógeno en hemorragia, no se ha demostrado un gradiente biológico preciso y tampoco hay prueba experimental adecuada de la pertinencia del fibrinógeno en distintas situaciones clínicas. Ni siquiera se ha demostrado claramente la temporalidad, considerando que se sabe que los niveles de fibrinógeno descienden durante el puerperio, incluso en mujeres que no tienen hemorragia. Los estudios en cirugía cardíaca,<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B2"><sup>2</sup></xref> lo mismo que el experimento de Concentrado de Fibrinógeno como tratamiento inicial para la Hemorragia Postparto,<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B3"><sup>3</sup></xref> no produjeron datos útiles para respaldar el uso rutinario de fibrinógeno. Quisiéramos sugerir varios factores a considerar en estudios futuros. En primer lugar, es preciso delinear más claramente la correlación entre los niveles de fibrinógeno y la coagulación funcional, lo cual podría lograrse combinando la medición del nivel de fibrinógeno con tromboelastografía en grupos específicos de pacientes. En segundo lugar, se debe examinar el efecto sobre el sangrado, ajustando los niveles de fibrinógeno de acuerdo con niveles previamente definidos en estudios aleatorizados. Sólo entonces podrá confirmarse la pertinencia del uso de fibrinógeno. Creemos que es probable que la elastografía desempeñe un papel más importante en el manejo de la hemorragia, haciendo posible la sustitución de factores en forma individualizada. Sólo así podrá ponerse fin al uso del fibrinógeno como &quot;bala mágica&quot; y llegar a un manejo más individualizado y apropiado.</p>
			<sec>
				<title>Financiamiento</title>
				<p>Los autores no recibieron patrocinio para llevar a cabo este artículo.</p>
			</sec>
			<sec>
				<title>Conflicto de intereses</title>
				<p>Los autores declaran no tener conflicto de intereses.</p>
			</sec>
		</body>
		<back>
			<fn-group>
				<fn fn-type="other" id="fn4">
					<label>Cómo citar este artículo:</label>
					<p> Muggleton E, Muggleton T. Se requieren estudios epidemiológicos a profundidad a fin de orientar un mejor manejo de la hemorragia. Rev Colomb Anestesiol. 2018;46:92.</p>
				</fn>
			</fn-group>
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	</sub-article-->
</article>