Enhancing Safety With a Massive Transfusion Protocol for Patients With Cancer Experiencing Uncontrolled Hemorrhage

Oncology nurses can recognize and respond to hemorrhagic emergencies across and beyond cellular therapy care in a timely and efficient manner to promote optimal patient outcomes. Massive transfusion protocol (MTP) is a systematic approach to resuscitating a patient experiencing uncontrolled hemorrhage using a ratio of blood components that mimics whole blood.

This article provides oncology nurses with a framework for implementing an MTP program to improve response time to hemorrhagic emergencies and reduce patient mortality.

The quality improvement advisory board at a tertiary cancer center approved the initiative to create an institutional MTP program as a clinical framework for clinicians to activate the MTP, delineate team roles and responsibilities, and rapidly transfuse blood components (red blood cells, plasma, and platelets) in a 1:1:1 ratio. Program success was evaluated through quality assurance reviews of each MTP event, with a focus on efficiency metrics and patient outcomes.

Implementation of an MTP program provided a mechanism for immediate availability of blood components in an optimal ratio. Systematic interprofessional MTP event simulations can prepare teams with the clinical skills needed to rapidly resuscitate patients experiencing uncontrolled hemorrhage.