Whole-Blood Transfusion From Empiricism to Evidence

The accumulated military, civilian, and prehospital literature supports whole blood as an efficient, physiologically complete strategy for early hemorrhage resuscitation that is associated with reduced transfusion burden and may improve outcomes in selected patients. However, much of the available evidence is observational, and definitive guidance awaits adequately powered randomized trials. For surgeons, trauma teams, and health systems, whole blood offers a practical framework to accelerate hemostatic resuscitation, reduce operational complexity, and inform future implementation in high-risk populations.

Corresponding Author: Crisanto M. Torres, MD, MPH, Boston University School of Medicine, 850 Harrison Ave, Dowling 2nd Floor, Ste 2509, Boston, MA 02118 (crtorres@bu.edu; crisanto.torres@bmc.org).

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