Transfusion Medicine
MASSIVE TRANSFUSIONS
Acutely bleeding patients can require large amounts of transfusion products. Early data showed high mortality rates with transfusion of more than 20 units of blood,41 but with modern blood banking techniques and improved laboratory testing, this rate has decreased dramatically, with survival rates of 43% to 70% in patients transfused with more than 50 units of blood.42
The basic approach to massive transfusions is to first transfuse the patient to maintain hemodynamic stability while specific blood tests are being obtained, and then to use the results of these early tests to guide the rest of the resuscitation. An important component is the ability to rapidly deliver standard packages of red cells, usually 6 to 10 units at a time, to the bleeding patient. To avoid delay while the patient’s blood is being typed, the first products delivered are blood group O Rh-positive units. Given the shortage of Rh-negative blood, this should be reserved for only empiric therapy of women of child-bearing age. Once the blood type is known, the patient can be switched over to type-specific blood.
In the past decade, there has been a shift toward increasing the amount of plasma given to patients receiving massive transfusions. This shift has occurred for 2 reasons. One is that modeling of coagulation changes in massive bleeding suggests the need for larger amounts of plasma to correct defects than have previously been recommended.43 The other reason is based on analysis of resuscitation protocols used in military and civilian trauma centers showing that giving red cells and plasma units in a 1:1 ratio appears to be associated with improved outcomes in massive transfusion. Several studies have extended this concept to platelets, again suggesting improved survival with 1 unit of random donor platelets given 1:1 with red cells and plasma units. The PROPPR (Prospective Observational Multicenter Major Trauma Transfusion) study compared a 1:1:1 to 1:1:2 ratio in patients with severe trauma and major bleeding and found less exsanguination and faster achievement of hemostasis in the first 24 hours.44 This has led to the widespread adoption of the 1:1 ratio by most trauma centers, and by default to other massive transfusion situations despite the lack of clinical trial data.45
One barrier to increased use is that plasma is kept frozen and requires 20 minutes to thaw. Many institutions are now keeping inventories of thawed plasma available for immediate use, ranging from 2 to 4 units of group AB plasma to keeping their entire inventory as liquid plasma.46 Plasma that is thawed but not used can be relabeled as “thawed plasma” and kept for up to 5 days. Also, many centers now use group A plasma for massive transfusions as this rarely leads to transfusion reactions and is much more available.47 Research is currently under way on lyophilized plasma, which can be stored at room temperature and can be rapidly reconstituted for emergency use.
The standard approach for laboratory testing is obtaining 5 tests: hematocrit, platelet count, INR/prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and fibrinogen.48 Product selection is guided by these tests, and they are repeated at regular intervals during the massive transfusion. A typical protocol is shown in Table 3. It is important as part of any protocol to have a flow chart that records laboratory results and products given that any member of the team can easily view.
