Military Blood Supply and Distribution in USCENTCOM

• Published in: Military medicine 2024-08, Vol.189 (9-10), p.249-252
• Main Authors: Hall, Andrew, Olsen, Cara, Comes, Ryan, McDaniel, Steven, Carrillo, Michael, Wilson, Ramey, Hanson, Matthew
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blood; Blood Banks - standards; Blood Banks - statistics & numerical data; Blood Banks - supply & distribution; Blood Transfusion - methods; Blood Transfusion - standards; Blood Transfusion - statistics & numerical data; Blood Transfusion - trends; Humans; Military Medicine - methods; Military Medicine - statistics & numerical data; Military Medicine - trends; Military Personnel - statistics & numerical data; United States
• ISSN: 0026-4075; 1930-613X; 1930-613X
• DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usad493

ABSTRACT In expeditionary environments, the consistent availability of blood for casualty care is imperative yet challenging. Responding to evidence and the specific needs of its expeditionary context, the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) prioritized supplying stored low titer O whole blood (LTOWB) to its units from March, 2023 onward. A strategy was devised to set minimal LTOWB on-hand supply benchmarks, determined by the number of operating beds and point of injury teams. This transition led to a 54% reduction in orders for packed red blood cells. As a countermove, the Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP) enhanced LTOWB production at a conversion rate 2:1 from packed red blood cell to LTOWB. Consequently, there was a decline in expired blood products, and fulfillment rates for blood requests are projected to reach 100% consistently. This paper delves into the intricacies of the expeditionary blood supply, the rationale behind the LTOWB transition, the devised allocation strategy, and the subsequent impacts of this change.