• Phillip M Kemp Bohan, Patrick M McCarthy, Morgan E Wall, Alexandra M Adams, Robert C Chick, Jason E Forcum, Jason S Radowsky, Remealle A How, and Valerie G Sams.
• From the Department of Surgery (P.M.K.B., P.M.M., A.M.A., R.C.C.), Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (M.E.W.), Bethesda, Maryland; and Department of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (J.E.F., J.S.R., R.A.H., V.G.S.), Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
• J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2021 Aug 1; 91 (2S Suppl 2): S162-S168.

BackgroundMilitary experience has shown low-titer O whole blood (LTOWB) to be safe and beneficial in the resuscitation of hemorrhaging trauma patients. However, few civilian centers use LTOWB for trauma resuscitation. We evaluated the early experience and safety of a LTOWB program at a level 1 civilian trauma center.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed our trauma registry from January 2018 to June 2020 for patients admitted in shock (defined as ≥1 of the following: heart rate, >120 beats per minute; systolic blood pressure, <90 mm Hg; or shock index, >0.9) who received blood products within 24 hours. Patients were grouped by resuscitation provided: LTOWB (group 1), component therapy (CT; group 2), and LTOWB-CT (group 3). Safety, outcomes, and variables associated with LTOWB transfusion and mortality were analyzed.Results216 patients were included: 34 in Group 1, 95 in Group 2, and 87 in Group 3. Patientsreceiving LTOWB were more commonly male (p<0.001) and had a penetrating injury (p=0.005). Groups 1 and 3 had higher median ISS scores compared to Group 2 (19 and 20 vs 17; p=0.01). Group 3 received more median units of blood product in the first 4h (p<0.001) and in the first 24h (p<0.001). There was no difference between groups in 24h mortality or transfusion-related complications (all p>0.05). Arrival ED SBP was associated with LTOWB transfusion (odds ratio [OR] 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95-1.00, p=0.03). ED lactate was independently associated with 24h mortality. (OR 1.27, CI 1.02-1.58, p=0.03). LTOWB transfusion was not associated with mortality (p=0.49). Abstract.ConclusionSeverely injured patients received LTOWB-CT and more overall product units but had similar 24 h mortality when compared with the LTOWB or CT groups. No increase in transfusion-related complications was seen after LTOWB transfusion. Low-titer O whole blood should be strongly considered in the resuscitation of trauma patients at civilian centers.Level Of EvidenceRetrospective, therapeutic, level IV.Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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