key: cord-0940939-a3yjq8hr
authors: Jacobs, Jeremy W.; Adkins, Brian D.; Booth, Garrett S.
title: Massive transfusion protocols during the COVID‐19 pandemic
date: 2022-03-29
journal: Vox Sang
DOI: 10.1111/vox.13269
sha: 1955810cfcdc1511a5bd82339f3cfa772bdff96d
doc_id: 940939
cord_uid: a3yjq8hr

nan

tions at a trauma centre. The authors experienced no change in the number of MTPs activated during the pandemic. Likewise, our previous study [2] found that 60% of surveyed institutions (n = 50) across the United States had no change in activations, while 24% experienced an increase in monthly MTP activations compared to the same period before the pandemic. Persistent activation of the MTP at prepandemic levels, and an increase at some hospitals, may not only reflect differences in region-and nation-specific virus control measures but also demonstrates the impact of societal pressures on hospital workflow and the character of traumas.

The authors discovered there was an increased amount of time from MTP initiation until the first unit was transfused. Their hypothesis was that the use of enhanced personal protective equipment required more time. Despite this increased time, no significant change in the amount of blood product wastage was observed. In contrast, our study found that 27% of institutions experienced increased wastage, with multiple institutions attributing this to staffing shortages leading to poor product handling [2] . To that end, if indeed there were challenges in maintaining adequate staff in Taiwan, these issues may have contributed to the increased time from MTP activation to transfusion as well; this underscores the importance of an adequately trained trauma care staff.

Additionally, the authors report that most traumas that required an MTP activation were due to motor vehicle trauma [1] . We analysed the number of road traffic accidents, injuries and fatalities in Taiwan 

The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on activation of the massive transfusion protocol in the emergency department

Blood shortages and changes to massive transfusion protocols: survey of hospital practices during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ministry of Transportation and Communications. Monthly Transportation Report -Ministry of Transportation and Communications

Global impact of COVID-19 pandemic on road traffic collisions

Uniform crime reporting (UCR) program. FBI [cited

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.Jeremy W. Jacobs 1 Brian D. Adkins 2 Garrett S. Booth 3