The Evolution of Blood Transfusion in the Trauma Patient: Whole Blood Has Come Full Circle.

Whole blood transfusion in the United States dates back to the Civil War, and it was widely used in all major conflicts since World War I. To understand our current civilian transfusion practices and to anticipate future changes in trauma resuscitation, it is important to understand the series of decisions that led trauma surgeons away from whole blood resuscitation and toward component therapy. In this review, we examine the historical basis for blood transfusion in trauma and examine the recent literature and future directions pertaining to blood product resuscitation in hemorrhaging patients.

Complications of Hemorrhagic Shock and Massive Transfusion-a Comparison Before and After the Damage Control Resuscitation Era.

ABSTRACT: Trauma remains a leading cause of death, and hemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable trauma deaths. Resuscitation strategies in trauma have changed dramatically over the last 20 years. In the pre damage control resuscitation (DCR) era, we used large volume crystalloid resuscitation and packed red blood cells as the primary resuscitative fluids. Now, a 1:1:1 ratio of packed red blood cells, fresh plasma, and platelets with minimal crystalloids is the preferred resuscitative strategy (DCR era). As we have changed how we resuscitate patients, the detrimental effects associated with large volume resuscitation have also changed. In this article, we review the effects of large volume blood product resuscitation, and where possible present a contrast between the pre-DCR era and the DCR era resuscitation strategies.