Outcome of closed injuries exceeding 20-unit blood transfusion need

A series of 129 patients with closed injuries receiving more than 20 units (1 unit = 500 ml) of blood within the first 48 h of accident was analysed. The transfusion policy included type-specific crossmatched whole blood stored with citrate phosphate-adenine as the main replacement. One unit of fresh whole blood was transfused for every 5 to 6 units of stored blood. Also platelet concentrates and fresh frozen plasma were in routine use. The patients required 340 surgical procedures, on average 2.6 per patient. Thrombocytopenia with a lowest recorded platelet count of less than 100,000/mm3 occurred in 81 patients (63 per cent) of whom 18 had disseminated intravascular coagulation. This serious complication seemed to be associated with large retroperitoneal blood accumulations, the latter possibly acting as an enhancing factor. The mortality rate in the whole series was slightly lower than recorded previously in the literature. Among patients receiving 21 to 39 blood units the mortality was 25 per cent and among those receiving 40 units or more the mortality was 52 per cent.