Resuscitation of trauma-induced coagulopathy

For 30 years, the Advanced Trauma Life Support course of the American College of Surgeons taught that coagulopathy was a late consequence of resuscitation of injury. The recognition of trauma-induced coagulopathy overturns that medical myth and creates a rationale for procoagulant resuscitation. Analysis of the composition of currently available blood components allows prediction of the upper limits of achievable coagulation activity, keeping in mind that oxygen transport must be maintained simultaneously. RBCs, plasma, and platelets given in a 1:1:1 unit ratio results in a hematocrit of 29%, plasma concentration of 62%, and platelet count of 90,000 in the administered resuscitation fluid. Additional amounts of any 1 component dilute the other 2 and any other fluids given dilute all 3. In vivo recovery of stored RBCs is ∼90% and that of platelets ∼60% at the mean age at which such products are given to trauma patients. This means that useful concentrations of the administered products are a hematocrit of 26%, a plasma coagulation factor activity of 62% equivalent to an international normalized ratio of ∼1.2, and a platelet count of 54,000. This means there is essentially no good way to give blood products for resuscitation of trauma-induced coagulopathy other than 1:1:1. Because 50% of trauma patients admitted alive to an academic-level 1 trauma center who will die of uncontrolled hemorrhage will be dead in 2 hours, the trauma system must be prepared to deliver plasma- and platelet-based resuscitation at all times.