Early predictive model may be new 'weapon' against leading cause of death on battlefield

Combat physicians in war-torn areas like Iraq and Afghanistan may be able to accurately predict which casualties require massive blood transfusions (MT), and thereby increase a soldier's chances of survival, according to research published in the October issue of The Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The study found that the presence of a combination of three variables -- assessed immediately upon arrival at the combat support hospital -- is highly predictive of which soldiers will need MT, thus allowing physicians to mobilize the necessary resources to transfuse large amounts of blood. The three variables are hemoglobin ¡Ü 11g/dL, International Normalized Ratio > 1.5, and a...

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