TROOP

The purpose of the TROOP trial is to determine whether patients who are critically injured and need a large transfusion of blood should be given whole blood, or blood that has been separated into its individual components. Blood banks in the US usually separate blood into components like red cells, platelets, and plasma. This is helpful in non-emergency situations, because many patients only need certain components. Emergency rooms across the country use both methods (whole blood and component parts), however it has not been formally studied to see if one method of blood transfusion is more helpful to people in hemorrhagic shock than the other. If whole blood is proven to save more lives than blood components, or even just as good as components (because whole blood is easier to use), we hope more hospitals will start using whole blood for injured patients who are in hemorrhagic shock. This study is being conducted in 14 trauma centers around the US, and will enroll 1,100 people

It is not known whether the one transfusion method will be better than the other. For this reason, some study participants will receive whole blood and others will receive blood components. This will allow a careful comparison of the two types of transfusions. In the TROOP trial, participants are randomized, which means that the product they receive is determined randomly, like with the flip of a coin. After randomization, the whole blood or blood products will be transfused to the patient, while the doctors caring for the patient will perform surgery to repair the injury or injuries.  Except for the blood transfusion(s), all of the treatments for the injuries will be determined by the physicians, and this study will not interfere with the patient’s care in any way.

Click here for link to TROOP Trial ClinicalTrials.gov entry