Resuscitation of trauma patients with type-specific uncrossmatched blood.

The present study was undertaken to determine the safety of type-specific uncrossmatched blood transfusions for severely hypovolemic trauma patients. During a 3-year period 875 units of type-specific uncrossmatched blood were given to 160 severely hypovolemic trauma patients who could not be adequately resuscitated with crystalloid solutions. No transfusion reactions resulted from the administration of type-specific uncrossmatched blood. Subsequent major crossmatch failed to identify either blood incompatibility or significant antibodies. Type-specific uncrossmatched blood is safe and is a rapidly available alternative to crossmatched blood in the severely hypovolemic trauma patient.