Should we be giving blood products to trauma patients in the pre-hospital setting? In theory, it would stand to reason that the patient has lost blood, and thus should receive more of it. But that doesn’t exactly pan out in the data.

In 2016, the journal Shock performed a literature review to discuss this exact topic. In the end, it seems like little more than a good idea on paper. There is simply no unequivocal evidence (so far) that supports giving blood over a crystalloid for traumatic bleeding.

But, it does seem that the use of pre-hospital blood products (PHBP) is gaining some traction, despite the apparent evidence. So what kind of trend are we seeing here? Are projects just ignoring the literature, or simply thinking outside the box?

Paper of the Week

Does the Use of Video Laryngoscopy Improve Patient Outcomes? Michael April, Brit Long. Annals of Emergency Medicine (In Press).

MedBox

YouTube: Prep4Step

This channel is great resource for those beginning or refreshing themselves on topics related to the STEP exams. Or, if you just want a refresher on immunology, its great for that too.

Sidenote: MSM Clinical Guy Dan got a shoutout on EMCRIT!

References: Smith, et al. Shock, JEMS

Follow MSM on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook