Bleeding is the most common cause of potentially survivable death in trauma, in both military and civilian settings. Whole blood is recognized as the resuscitation fluid of choice, it has limited viability, requires cold storage, and is not always available due to logistical challenges and donor dependence. Despite the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) extensive and highly effective blood program, rapid patient evacuation to a facility that has blood is not always an option. To improve chances for survival, patients should have access to blood in 30 minutes or less.
DARPA’s Fieldable Solutions for Hemorrhage with bio-Artificial Resuscitation Products (FSHARP) program aims to develop a field-deployable, shelf-stable whole blood equivalent that can be used to resuscitate trauma patients when donated blood products are not available.