Whole blood transfusion for exsanguinating coagulopathy in a US field surgical hospital in postwar Kosovo.
An urgent blood drive in which active duty military field surgical hospital personnel volunteered to donate whole blood was conducted, and administration of warm, whole blood prevented the exsanguination of a normothermic coagulopathic patient who had received a massive transfusion. In austere care settings in which full blood banking capability may not be available, physicians should consider that exsanguinating hemorrhage can potentially be controlled surgically, but nonsurgical bleeding requires specific replacement therapy, and whole blood may be the best selection for repleting deficiencies of components that are otherwise unavailable.
US Army 67th Combat Support Hospital (forward), Task Force Med Falcon, Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.
S M
SM
Grosso
J O
JO
Keenan
D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D004211:Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation / Q000628:therapy*; D006772:Hospitals, Military / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration; D012771:Shock, Hemorrhagic / Q000628:therapy*; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D014857:Warfare; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000601:surgery*; D015022:Yugoslavia