UAV-ASSISTED MASSIVE TRANSFUSION ON COMBAT FIELD: A CASE REPORT drturkoglubaki@gmail.com

332-04

UAV-ASSISTED MASSIVE TRANSFUSION ON COMBAT FIELD: A CASE REPORT

5

 

 

 

 

Turkey

Oral or Poster

Hemorrhage is the leading cause of potentially survivable deaths in combat settings. Early transfusion of blood products, particularly in austere and delayed evacuation scenarios, is critical. Recent studies have explored the logistical potential of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for medical supply transport, but their application in active combat transfusion has not been documented.

We report the case of a 27-year-old male soldier injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) during a military operation at 1500 meters altitude. The patient sustained a left below-knee amputation, complex open fractures on the right leg, and developed hemorrhagic shock. Due to adverse weather, air evacuation was not possible. Six units of whole blood (WB) and two units of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) were delivered in two drone flights (each 15 minutes) and administered on-site under telemedicine supervision.

Five units of WB were transfused prehospital within three hours. The patient stabilized hemodynamically and was successfully evacuated by armored ambulance. Surgical interventions, including stump preservation and tibial fixation, were completed at the field and tertiary hospitals. The patient was discharged without any adverse transfusion-related events.

As far as we know, this is the first documented case of massive transfusion in a combat environment using autonomous drones. The integration of UAV delivery and telemedicine in prehospital trauma care demonstrates a promising logistical solution for battlefield medicine, especially when medical evacuation is delayed. Further studies are needed to standardize UAV-assisted transfusion protocols.