@article {Bodnar583, author = {Daniel Bodnar and Stephen Rashford and Catherine Hurn and Jamie Quinn and Lachlan Parker and Katherine Isoardi and Sue Williams}, editor = {Enraght-Moony, Emma and Clarke, Benjamin}, title = {Characteristics and outcomes of patients administered blood in the prehospital environment by a road based trauma response team}, volume = {31}, number = {7}, pages = {583--588}, year = {2014}, doi = {10.1136/emermed-2013-202395}, publisher = {British Association for Accident and Emergency Medicine}, abstract = {Objective To describe the characteristics, clinical interventions and the outcomes of patients administered packed red blood cells (pRBCs) by a metropolitan, road based, doctor-paramedic trauma response team (TRT). Methods A retrospective cohort study examining 18 months of historical data collated by the Queensland Ambulance Service TRT, the Pathology Queensland Central Transfusion Laboratory, the Royal Brisbane and Women{\textquoteright}s Hospital and the Princess Alexandra Hospital Trauma Services was undertaken. Results Over an 18-month period (1 January 2011 to 30 June 2012), 71 trauma patients were administered pRBCs by the TRT. Seven patients (9.9\%) died on scene and 39 of the 64 patients (60.9\%) transported to hospital survived to hospital discharge. 57 (89.1\%) of the transported patients had an Injury Severity Score (ISS) \> 15, with a mean ISS, Revised Trauma Score (RTS) and Trauma-Injury Severity Score of 32.11, 4.70 and 0.57, respectively. No patients with an RTS \< 2 survived to hospital discharge. 53 patients (82.8\%) received additional pRBCs in hospital with 17 patients (26.6\%) requiring greater than 10 units pRBCs in the first 24 h. 47 patients (73.4\%) required surgical or interventional radiological procedures in the first 24 h. Conclusions There is a potential role for prehospital pRBC transfusions in an integrated civilian trauma system. The RTS calculated using the initial set of observations may be a useful tool in determining in which patients the administration of prehospital pRBC transfusions would be futile.}, issn = {1472-0205}, URL = {https://emj.bmj.com/content/31/7/583}, eprint = {https://emj.bmj.com/content/31/7/583.full.pdf}, journal = {Emergency Medicine Journal} }