Warm Fresh Whole Blood Transfusion for Severe Hemorrhage U.S. Military and Potential Civilian Applications

The authors examined data from 6,000 units of warm, fresh blood transfused between 2003 and 2007 in Afghanistan and Iraq to patients with life-threatening injuries. They wrote, “Preliminary results in approximately 500 patients with massive transfusion indicate that the amount of fresh warm whole blood transfused is independently associated with improved 48-hr and 30-day survival and the amount of stored red blood cells is independently associated with decreased 48-hr and 30-day survival for patients with traumatic injuries that require massive transfusion. Risks of warm fresh whole blood transfusion include the transmission of infectious agents and the potential for microchimerism.”