Fayad Al-Haimus: The TOWAR Trial On Comaprison of Whole Blood vs Component Therapy in Trauma
Fayad Al-Haimus, Adult Thrombosis Fellow at McMaster University, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article by Jason L. Sperry et al, published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM):
”Whole blood vs component therapy in trauma: does one save more lives?
A new trial has added to the evolving hemostatic resuscitation literature in trauma: the TOWAR trial (Prehospital Resuscitation with Type O Whole Blood for Trauma and Hemorrhage), recently published in NEJM Group.
Trial overview: Multicenter U.S. randomized trial including 1,020 trauma patients with suspected hemorrhagic shock requiring prehospital blood transfusion, randomized 2:1 to low-titer group O whole blood versus component therapy.
Key findings:
- No significant difference in 30-day mortality between whole blood and component therapy
- Outcomes were similar even when older whole blood products were used
- Reinforces the value of early blood administration in trauma care
The message may not be that ‘whole blood doesn’t work.’
Rather, this study suggests that in hemorrhagic trauma, getting blood to patients early may matter more than the exact product being delivered.”
Title: Prehospital Resuscitation with Type O Whole Blood for Trauma and Hemorrhage
Authors: Jason L. Sperry, Francis X. Guyette, Bryan A. Cotton, James F. Luther, Richard B. Utarnachitt, Matthew E. Kutcher, Brian J. Daley, Allan B. Peetz, Mayur B. Patel, Michael D. Goodman, Jeffrey A. Claridge, Nimitt Patel, Brian G. Harbrecht, Zain G. Hashmi, Ryan Zarychanski, Matthew D. Neal, Mark H. Yazer, Christian Martin-Gill, Laura E. Vincent, Ashley M. Harner, David E. Meyer, Andrew J. Latimer, Bryce R. Robinson, Catherine L. McKnight, William R. Hinckley, Keith R. Miller, Jan O. Jansen, Douglas Martin, Erin E. Fox, Bedda L. Rosario-Rivera, Stephen R. Wisniewski
Stay updated on all scientific advances with Hemostasis Today.
-
May 20, 2026, 06:09Jesse Solar: Supporting Safer Pregnancies Through Clot Awareness
-
May 20, 2026, 05:59Enhancing Patient Care Through Hemophilia Education – Kenya Haemophilia Association
-
May 20, 2026, 05:42Muhammad Bilal: Why Reticulocyte Counts Matter in Anemia Evaluation
-
May 20, 2026, 04:06RishiRaj Sinha: Improving Blood Safety Systems in Resource-Limited Settings
-
May 19, 2026, 20:00Christoph B. Olivier: CYP2C19 Genotype, Platelet Reactivity and Risk Stratification in AF Patients Undergoing PCI
-
May 19, 2026, 16:41Selina Marwa: Strengthening Sickle Cell Disease Prevention and Care in Africa
-
May 19, 2026, 16:34Congratulations to the NNHF Project of the Year 2026 Winner
-
May 19, 2026, 16:32Veronica Sanchez: Early Screening Matters in CKM Syndrome
-
May 19, 2026, 16:24Fredrick Chalinga: The Science Behind Recombinant Factor VIIa in Hemophilia A