International journal of burns and trauma
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The value of prehospital red blood cell (RBC) transfusion for trauma patients is controversial. The purposes of this literature review were to determine the mortality rate of trauma patients with hemodynamic instability and the benefit of prehospital RBC transfusion. A 30-year systematic literature review was performed in 2016. ⋯ Trauma patient mortality increases with the magnitude of hemodynamic instability and anatomic injury. Some literature evidence indicates no survival advantage with prehospital RBC availability. However, other data suggesting a potential benefit is confounded or likely to be biased.