The Use of Whole Blood Transfusion in Trauma

Mary Hanna; Justin Knittel; Jason Gillihan

doi:10.1007/s40140-021-00514-w

The Use of Whole Blood Transfusion in Trauma

Curr Anesthesiol Rep. 2022;12(2):234-239. doi: 10.1007/s40140-021-00514-w. Epub 2022 Jan 17.

Authors

Mary Hanna¹, Justin Knittel², Jason Gillihan²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, CA K1S5W1 Canada.
² Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8054, 600 S Euclid Ave, St Louis, MO 63110 USA.

Abstract

Purpose of review: This review illustrates the current benefits, limitations, ongoing research, and future paths for Low Titer O Whole Blood compared to Component Therapy in massive transfusion for trauma patients.

Recent findings: Many studies show that compared to Component Therapy, Low Titer O Whole Blood transfusion is associated with better patient outcomes and simplified transfusion logistics among others. There are, however, issues with cost, supply/demand and handling of Whole Blood that limit its use, but experience in the military setting has shown that these limitations can be easily overcome.

Summary: The use of Whole Blood has increased in the civilian trauma population and there is a growing body of evidence to support its current use. More research looking at Whole Blood in females of child-bearing age, pediatric populations, and cold-stored platelets is underway.

Keywords: Component therapy (CT); Damage control resuscitation (DCR); Low Titer O Whole Blood (LTOWB); Massive transfusion protocol (MTP); Whole blood (WB).

Publication types

Review