Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)

Department

Physician Assistant Studies

First Advisor

Kristen Carr

Keywords

blood transfusions, blood components, wound, injuries, resuscitation, humans, male, female, haemorrhagic shock, shock, hemorrhagic, whole blood, blood component transfusion, component, transfusion, plasma, platelets, packed red blood cells, resuscitability, resuscitate, resuscitated, death

Abstract

Hemorrhagic shock is a deadly condition that is often seen after a trauma has occurred. It has a high mortality rate, and other treatments need to be evaluated. The purpose of this literature review is to compare survival rates and total volume required of whole blood versus component therapy. In this review two databases were used PubMed and EMBASE using key terms. Out of the 590 articles, nine articles met the inclusion criteria, focused on the civilian population over 15 years old who experienced trauma requiring transfusions. Articles before 2018 were excluded as well as articles that included military populations and non-traumatic transfusions. The research showed mixed results for the use of whole blood on survival rates and total volume required for resuscitation. Future research should focus on large-scale randomized controlled trials within civilian populations to better evaluate the true efficacy of whole blood resuscitation. Additionally, adequate access to O-negative whole blood will increase the number of studies that can be performed and allow everyone to be included.

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