Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37400127›Full record

ArticleBMJ military health2025

Haemostatic resuscitation in practice: a descriptive analysis of blood products administered during Operation HERRICK, Afghanistan.

Rhys L Davies, J Thompson, R McGuire, J E Smith, S Webster, T Woolley

Abstract read
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Article in BMJ military health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Rhys L DaviesAnaesthetic Department, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK.
J ThompsonAcademic Department of Military Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham, UK.
R McGuireDSTL, Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK.
J E SmithAcademic Department of Military Emergency Medicine, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6143-0421
S WebsterAcademic Department of Military Emergency Medicine, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham, UK s.webster7@nhs.net.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3298-9074
T WoolleyAcademic Department of Military Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9957-6453

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionLife-threatening haemorrhage is the leading cause of potentially survivable injury in battlefield casualties. During Operation HERRICK (Afghanistan), mortality rates improved year on year due to a number of advances in trauma care, including haemostatic resuscitation. Blood transfusion practice has not previously been reported in detail during this period.

methodsA retrospective analysis of blood transfusion at the UK role 3 medical treatment facility (MTF) at Camp Bastion between March 2006 and September 2014 was performed. Data were extracted from two sources: the UK Joint Theatre Trauma Registry (JTTR) and the newly established Deployed Blood Transfusion Database (DBTD).

results3840 casualties were transfused 72 138 units of blood and blood products. 2709 adult casualties (71%) were fully linked with JTTR data and were transfused a total of 59 842 units. Casualties received between 1 unit and 264 units of blood product with a median of 13 units per patient. Casualties wounded by explosion required almost twice the volume of blood product transfusion as those wounded by small arms fire or in a motor vehicle collision (18 units, 9 units, and 10 units, respectively). More than half of blood products were transfused within the first 2 hours following arrival at the MTF. There was a trend towards balanced resuscitation with more equal ratios of blood and blood products being used over time.

conclusionThis study has defined the epidemiology of blood transfusion practice during Operation HERRICK. The DBTD is the largest combined trauma database of its kind. It will ensure that lessons learnt during this period are defined and not forgotten; it should also allow further research questions to be answered in this important area of resuscitation practice.

Indexed as

Blood TransfusionHemostaticsResuscitationAdultAfghan Campaign 2001-AfghanistanFemaleHemorrhageHumansMaleRegistriesRetrospective StudiesUnited KingdomWounds and InjuriesHemostaticsACCIDENT & EMERGENCY MEDICINEBlood bank & transfusion medicineTRAUMA MANAGEMENT

Identifiers

PMID37400127
PMCPMC11877068

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