New understandings of post injury coagulation and resuscitation

Coagulopathy following injury is common and it predicts poor outcomes and increased mortality. For many decades, coagulopathy in trauma was considered as an iatrogenic phenomenon, and clinical practice focused on a resuscitation strategy using large volume crystalloid and packed red blood cells. The discovery of Acute Traumatic Coagulopathy as a distinct pathophysiologic state coupled with a transition towards balanced product resuscitation has fundamentally changed the paradigm of trauma care and represents one of the most active areas of current research in the field of trauma. In this review, we examine the development and current understanding of the mechanisms, implicated mediators, and physiology of Acute Traumatic Coagulopathy, with an emphasis on the role of the activated Protein C pathway. We will also review the state of resuscitation practice including the evidence for balanced product administration and the previously under-appreciated importance of platelet count and function. Importantly, we highlight ongoing knowledge deficits in traumatic coagulopathy and resuscitation as directions for future investigation in order to facilitate further insight into these rapidly evolving fields.