Current strategies for hemostatic control in acute trauma hemorrhage and trauma-induced coagulopathy

Introduction: Despite advances in the treatment of severely injured patients that have resulted in overall improved outcomes, uncontrolled hemorrhage still represents the most common cause of preventable death following major injury. While addressing both endo- and exogenous factors that lead to an acute trauma-induced coagulopathy, massive transfusion plays a key role in managing bleeding trauma patients. However, the best practice for hemostatic control including massive transfusion in these patients is still under debate. Areas covered: This review summarizes the current knowledge and clinical practice for hemostatic control including massive transfusion for bleeding trauma patients. The recent literature was reviewed and extended by current guidelines and their underlying evidence was incorporated. Expert commentary: Treatment strategies for bleeding trauma patients are still an area of emerging scientific and clinical interest as advances are likely to translate into improved outcomes including survival. To date, damage control resuscitation principles with ratio-based transfusion of packed red blood cells, plasma and platelets still dominate as "gold standard" of care but goal-directed strategies guided either by conventional coagulation tests or viscoelastic assays may demonstrate a better characterization of the underlying coagulopathy thereby allowing individualized and targeted therapies.