Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32118820›Full record

ArticleThe journal of trauma and acute care surgery2020

Massive transfusion and the response to prehospital plasma: It is all in how you define it.

Edward S Sim, Frank X Guyette, Joshua B Brown, Brian J Daley, Richard S Miller, Brian G Harbrecht, Jeffrey A Claridge, Herb A Phelan, Matthew D Neal, Raquel Forsythe and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of trauma and acute care surgery, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Blood transfusion strategies for major bleeding in trauma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Observational
  6. Prehospital Plasma Transfusion: What Does the Literature Show?Transfusion medicine and hemotherapy : offizielles Organ der Deutschen Gesellschaft fur Transfusionsmedizin und Immunhamatologie · 2021
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Edward S SimFrom the Department of Surgery (J.B.B., M.D.N., R.F., B.S.Z., J.L.S.), Department of Emergency Medicine (F.X.G.), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Surgery (B.J.D.), University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Knoxville; Department of Surgery (R.S.M.), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee; University of Louisville (B.G.H.), Louisville, Kentucky; MetroHealth Medical Center (J.A.C.), Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; and Department of Surgery (H.A.P.), University of Texas Southwestern, Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, Texas.
Frank X Guyette
Joshua B Brown
Brian J Daley
Richard S Miller
Brian G Harbrecht
Jeffrey A Claridge
Herb A Phelan
Matthew D Neal
Raquel Forsythe
Brian S Zuckerbraun
Jason L Sperry
PAMPer study group

Funding

Pragmatic, Prehospital Group O Whole Blood Early Resuscitation Pilot TrialR34HL135224 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI SPERRY, JASON LEE, TRIULZI, DARRELL J · 2017 to 2019
$594k
NHLBI NIH HHS R34 HL135224
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA recent analysis derived from the Prehospital Air Medical Plasma trial data set demonstrated no significant independent plasma survival benefit in those who required massive transfusion (≥10 units of red cells in 24 hours). The definition of massive transfusion has evolved over time to minimize bias and predict those at highest risk of death. We sought to characterize the definition of massive transfusion, their associated mortality risks and the survival benefit associated with prehospital plasma.

methodsA secondary analysis was performed using data from a recent prehospital plasma trial. Patients transferred directly from the scene were characterized. We defined historic massive transfusion using ≥10 units red cells in 24 hours and critical administration threshold (CAT) as ≥3 units per hour in the first hour (CAT1hr) or in any of the first 4 hours (CAT4hr) from arrival. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox hazard regression were used to characterize the survival benefit of prehospital plasma.

resultsThere were a total of 390 enrolled patients who were transferred from the scene and represent the study cohort. Overall, 126 patients were positive for the CAT1hr metric, 183 patients were positive for the CAT4hr metric and 84 patients were positive for historic massive transfusion metric. The overall study mortality rate for those patients who met each transfusion definition was 13.1%, 17.4% and 10.0%, respectively. The CAT4hr metric had the lowest potential for survival bias. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated a prehospital plasma survival benefit in the patients who were CAT4hr positive.

conclusionThe current analysis demonstrates the superior utility of the CAT4hr definition with optimization of survival bias while conserving mortality risk prediction. This transfusion definition was associated with a prehospital plasma survival benefit and may be the most appropriate definition of massive transfusion for pragmatic studies which focus on hemorrhagic shock. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic, Level II.

Indexed as

Blood Component TransfusionEmergency Medical ServicesPlasmaAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSurvival RateWounds and Injuries

Identifiers

PMID32118820
PMCPMC7867709

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.