UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Critical Care

Title: Coagulopathy and Trauma

Keywords: fresh frozen plasma, coagulopathy, PRBC (PubMed Search)

Posted: 3/11/2008 by Mike Winters, MD (Updated: 3/28/2024)
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Coagulopathy and Trauma

  • When resuscitating a trauma patient recall that the "lethal triad" consists of acidosis, hypothermia, and coagulopathy
  • Coagulopathy is induced by the combination of direct loss of clotting factors, consumption in clot formation, dilutional due to crystalloid administration, acidosis, and hypothermia
  • When giving PRBCs in trauma resuscitation, don't forget to give FFP
  • The ratio to remember is 1U of FFP for every 2U PRBCs