Acute traumatic coagulopathy and the relationship to prehospital care and on‐scene red blood cell transfusion

OBJECTIVE To identify the incidence of acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) in trauma patients presenting to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, analyse prehospital contributors, including red blood cell transfusion and assess the clinical significance of ATC. METHODS A retrospective database review was undertaken using conventional coagulation assays and viscoelastic testing (ROTEM) for diagnosis of ATC. RESULTS Baseline ATC incidence is 10% in trauma patients, increasing to over 80% among those where the prehospital team has attended and given a transfusion of red cells. ATC was significantly associated with higher severity of trauma (odds ratio [OR] 1.11, P