Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Coagulopathy is common after severe trauma and occurs very early after the initial insult. Some investigators have suggested early and aggressive treatment of the trauma-induced coagulopathy by transfusion of fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) and packed red blood cells (PRBC) in a 1:1 ratio. This evidence-based emergency medicine (EBM) review evaluates the evidence regarding the impact of 1:1 ratio of FFP:PRBC transfusion on survival of emergency department (ED) patients with severe trauma. ⋯ Three retrospective registry reviews with suboptimal methodologies and one prospective cohort study provide inadequate evidence to support or refute the use of a high FFP:PRBC ratio in patients with severe trauma.