Opinion: The urgent need to field dried plasma for large-scale combat operations
Dried plasma was used during WW II and the Korean War, saving thousands of lives. It was banned due to the lack of screening technology for hepatitis contaminated blood. Now, military and veteran researches, doctors, and healthcare workers are calling for the life saving treatment to be re-introduced to the military.
LTC STEVEN G SCHAUER, DO, MS, MAJ ANDREW D FISHER, MD, MPAS, JOSHUA SKOVLUND, MSG PETER J STEDNICK, 68W, COL MICHAEL J. TARPEY, MD, COL BENJAMIN P DONHAM, MD, LTC RYAN M KNIGHT, MD, COL JENNIFER M GURNEY, MD, COL JASON B. CORLEY, MS, CSM CURTIS C CONKLIN, 68W, CAPT TRAVIS M. POLK, MD, CAPT LESLIE E. RIGGS, MS, MLS, SBB, COL VIKHYAT S BEBARTA, MD, LTC MICHAEL D APRIL, MD, DPHIL, MSC
POSTED ON JUL 22, 2024 6:09 PM EDT
A soldier prepares freeze dried plasma during a military training exercise.
A U.S. AIRMAN WITH SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES MEDICAL ELEMENT, 18TH WING, PREPARES FREEZE-DRIED PLASMA DURING A SIMULATED CASUALTY EVACUATION DRILL AT IE SHIMA, OKINAWA, JAPAN, OCT. 8, 2020. (U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTO BY/CPL. ETHAN M. LEBLANC)
The essay is an opinion piece written and submitted by the authors, who are military medical professionals, and edited by Task & Purpose editors. Task & Purpose welcomes submissions of opinion pieces on military medicine.
The Department of Defense must prioritize development and fielding of dried plasma for the treatment of severe bleeding on the battlefield.
Hemorrhage, or uncontrolled bleeding, is a leading cause of death on the battlefield.1-3 The overwhelming majority of these deaths occur at or near the point of need before reaching a Military Treatment Facility (deployed, forward-staged medical facility with surgical capabilities). Torso injuries, more commonly known as the chest, abdomen, and pelvis area, continue to be a leading cause of death prior to reaching surgical care. Treatment of these injuries is difficult in the prehospital setting with the currently available tools in the medic’s aid bag.
Currently, the only available tool for the medics to temporize this blood loss is the use of Tranexamic Acid (TXA) and forward-staged blood products, which are available in limited quantities and have significant logistical challenges associated with cold-chain storage requirements. With these limitations in mind, the Joint Force needs a shelf-stable resuscitative product for immediate use to bridge injured patients until other blood products, evacuation and advanced care are available.
https://taskandpurpose.com/opinion/dried-plasma/
