The US military experience with fresh whole blood during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan

Abstract

Since its introduction in the early part of the last century, fresh whole blood (FWB) has been used by the US military as a battlefield expedient resuscitation method, even after the development of component therapy in the 1960s. In the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, FWB was used once more, often collected in the setting of a walking blood bank (WBB). Considerable research and opinion from military circles has cited these experiences and sparked renewed interest in FWB as an effective resuscitation tool in the setting of trauma. Despite efforts by the US military to improve the effectiveness and safety of FWB through a series of widely published guidelines, transfusion transmitted infections (TTI) remain a vexing challenge. These experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan will help inform a larger discussion regarding the reintroduction of FWB in civilian trauma resuscitation.