The impact of the COVID‐19 outbreak on activation of the massive transfusion protocol in the emergency department

• Published in: Vox Sanguinis Vol. 117; no. 5; pp. 729 - 732
• Main Authors: Yang, Cheng‐Xin, Lin, Pei‐Chin, Chang, Chih‐Chun, Tsai, Huang‐Wen, Sun, Jen‐Tang
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.05.2022; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; S. Karger AG
• Subjects: Blood; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Emergency medical care; Emergency medical services; massive transfusion protocol; Outbreaks; patient blood management; Survival; Transfusion; Trauma; Viral diseases; COVID-19; trauma; patient blood management; massive transfusion protocol
• ISSN: 0042-9007; 1423-0410
• DOI: 10.1111/vox.13238

Background and Objectives An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) occurred in mid‐May of 2021 in Taiwan. After 2 months of hard work, transmissions were successfully prevented and the number of newly confirmed COVID‐19 cases fell remarkably. We evaluated the impact of this outbreak on the massive transfusion protocol (MTP) in the emergency department (ED) of a trauma centre. Materials and Methods We retrospectively compared the activation and efficacy of MTP before, during and after the outbreak by analysing the clinical data relevant to MTP activations. Results There was no remarkable change in the average number of MTP triggers per month during the outbreak. The interval from an MTP trigger to the first unit of blood transfused at bedside was significantly increased during the outbreak compared to that before the outbreak (22.4 min vs. 13.9 min, p < 0.001); while the 24‐h survival rate decreased (57.1% vs. 71.1%, p = 0.938). There were no remarkable changes in blood unit return or wastage during the outbreak. Conclusion The COVID‐19 outbreak limitedly affected MTP activation and waste of blood products, but significantly increased the interval from an MTP trigger to the first unit of blood transfused at bedside.