Crossing the thin RED line: where have we been and where should we go with whole blood?

Abstract

Dr. Jennifer M. Gurney is an active-duty military surgeon who has been deployed seven times and serves as the Chief of the Joint Trauma System and the Chief of the Defense Committee on Trauma. Additionally, she is an accomplished researcher having authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications, the majority of which are aimed at improving combat casualty care. As the keynote speaker for this year's "Sharon M. Henry Maryland Committee on Trauma State-of-the-Art Lecture," no one is more qualified to discuss the use of whole blood and its history in both military and civilian trauma resuscitation than JMG. However, her message ran deeper as she brought the audience on a journey through the history and future of trauma surgery across the "thin RED line," urging us to continue to build R esilience, use our E xperience, and foster D edication to improve the care of the injured patient in an effort to be R eady E very D ay. The following is a review of JMG's lecture.