The balanced resuscitation approach

“Balanced resuscitation minimizes coagulopathy through permissive hypotension, restrictive crystalloid use, and high ratios of plasma and platelet to red blood cell transfusion.” (Cantle, 2017, p. 999)


Holcomb JB, Tilley BC, Baraniuk S, et al. Transfusion of plasma, platelets, and red blood cells in a 1:1:1 vs a 1:1:2 ratio and mortality in patients with severe trauma: the PROPPR randomized clinical trial.Transfusion of plasma, platelets, and red blood cells in a 1:1:1 vs a 1:1:2 ratio and mortality in patients with severe trauma: the PROPPR randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2015 Feb 3;313(5):471-82.

Full-text for Emory users.

“Exsanguination, the predominant cause of death within the first 24 hours, was decreased in the 1:1:1 group (9.2%) vs the 1:1:2 group (14.6%) (difference, −5.4% [95% CI, −10.4% to −0.5%], P = .03); the median time to death due to exsanguination was 106 minutes interquartile range [IQR], 54 to 198 minutes) and 96 minutes (IQR, 43 to 194 minutes), respectively. From 24 hours through 30 days, the numbers of additional all-cause deaths were similar (32 for the 1:1:1 group vs 31 for the 1:1:2 group). Over 30 days, deaths due to exsanguination occurred in 10.7% of patients in the 1:1:1 group vs 14.7% in the 1:1:2 group, whereas deaths due to traumatic brain injury were 8.1% vs 10.3%, respectively. Additional causes of death were infrequent and are shown in Table 3. More patients achieved anatomic hemostasis in the 1:1:1 group (86.1% vs 78.1% in the 1:1:2 group, P = .006) with a median time of 105 minutes (IQR, 64 to 179 minutes) vs 100 minutes (IQR, 56 to 181 minutes), respectively (P = .44) in those who achieved anatomic hemostasis (Table 2).” (Holcomb, 2015, p. 475)


Roquet F, et al. Association of Early, High Plasma-to-Red Blood Cell Transfusion Ratio With Mortality in Adults With Severe Bleeding After Trauma. JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Sep 4;2(9):e1912076.

Free full-text.

RESULTS: Of the 12 217 patients included in the registry, 897 (7.3%) were analyzed (median [interquartile range] age, 38 (29-54) years; 639 [71.2%] men). The median (interquartile range) injury severity score was 34 (22-48), and the overall 30-day mortality rate was 33.6% (301 patients). A total of 506 patients (56.4%) underwent transfusion with a high ratio and 391 (43.6%) with a low ratio. A high transfusion ratio was associated with a significant reduction in 30-day mortality (hazard ratio, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.58-0.94; P = .01). When only analyzing patients who had complete data, a high transfusion ratio continued to be associated with a reduction in 30-day mortality (hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.33-0.97; P = .04).


More PubMed results on balanced resuscitation and transfusion ratios.

1 thought on “The balanced resuscitation approach

  1. Pingback: Restrictive vs. Liberal Fluid Therapy for Major Abdominal Surgery | Surgical Focus

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