@article{ref1,
title="The impact of providing blood to the scene of an accident on transfusion laboratory practice",
journal="Transfusion medicine",
year="2018",
author="Wolf, S. and Morris, J. and Kennedy, K. and Lawn, M. and Mcloughlin, T. and Feane, K. and Uprichard, J. and Weaver, A. and Allard, S. and Green, L.",
volume="28",
number="1",
pages="56-59",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Haemorrhage is the leading cause of mortality during trauma. In 2012, London's Air Ambulance introduced Blood on Board (BOB), transfusing group O red cells (RBC) to trauma patients at the scene. <br><br>OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the impact of BOB on the number of mixed field samples received by the laboratory, the number of group O RBC transfused to non-group O patients and the ratio of RBC to fresh frozen plasma (FFP) transfused in the initial 24 h. <br><br>METHODS: Three major trauma centres collected data on patients for whom the major haemorrhage protocol was activated between August 2008 and February 2012 pre-BOB and March 2012 and December 2013 post-BOB. <br><br>RESULTS: A total of 233 trauma patients were identified pre-BOB and 119 post-BOB. There was no significant difference in the percentage of group O units transfused to non-group O patients (75 vs 82%, P = 0·21) or the RBC : FFP ratio (pre-BOB mean 1·6 [interquartile range (IQR) 1·0-2·0]; post-BOB mean 1·7 [IQR 1·1-2·2], P = 0·24). There was no significant difference in the percentage of mixed field samples received (23% vs 27%, P = 0·3). <br><br>CONCLUSION: The introduction of BOB did not change the proportion of group O RBC transfused or the RBC : FFP ratio; however, the proportion of acceptable samples decreased. This is largely due to an increase in blood samples not received from the post-BOB cohort, which we believe is probably due to patients who died at the scene. We have introduced robust systems to indicate reasons for not obtaining samples.<br><br>© 2017 British Blood Transfusion Society.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0958-7578",
doi="10.1111/tme.12397",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/tme.12397"
}