Episode
Bringing Combat Whole Blood Pre-Hospital Protocols to Civilian Trauma- Dr. Don Jenkins and Dr. Alex Bowers
- Published
- Mar 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3507
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Summary
In this compelling episode of the podcast, we explore the groundbreaking paradigm shift of bringing whole blood resuscitation from the combat zones of Afghanistan directly to civilian pre-hospital emergency care. For decades, standard civilian trauma protocols relied heavily on crystalloid fluids and component therapy, delaying crucial blood transfusions until a critically injured patient arrived at the hospital. However, hard-won lessons from military medical teams operating in austere environments proved that administering cold-stored, low-titer O-positive whole blood at or near the point of injury drastically increases survival rates for patients suffering from severe hemorrhagic shock. We are joined by two incredible guests who are spearheading this medical revolution. Dr. Donald Jenkins, a retired Air Force trauma surgeon and a driving force behind the Joint Trauma System, shares his firsthand experience administering the first whole blood to combat casualties over two decades ago. He details the massive logistical and institutional hurdles he and his colleagues faced when attempting to convince civilian blood banks and hospital administrators to abandon forty years of standard practice in favor of a whole-blood approach. Through relentless collaboration, they successfully built a highly efficient, low-waste pre-hospital whole blood distribution system in San Antonio, Texas, which now serves as a premier national model. We are also joined by Captain Alex Bowers, an Air Force general surgery resident and former enlisted medic who founded the Students, Residents, and Fellows Trauma Advocacy Coalition (SURF-TAC). Capt. Bowers discusses how his organization utilizes national traffic fatality data to advocate for state-level legislative funding. His data-driven approac…