Dr. Henry Cryer, of UCLA Receives $200,000 Grant
Dr. Henry Cryer, UCLA chief of trauma and emergency surgery, received a $200,000 research grant from the National Trauma Institute (NTI). Cryer’s study is one of nine grants awarded this year by NTI, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding trauma research in the United States in an effort to reduce death and disability, and the associated costs, related to trauma injury.
By Amy Sommer | February 16, 2011
Cryer will study the use of fresh whole blood for transfusions at civilian trauma centers. Recent military studies indicate that transfusion of fresh whole blood may be more beneficial than individual blood components in patients with severe hemorrhage. However, technical difficulties and costs have precluded such research in civilians.
Working with his team, Cryer will conduct a feasibility and hospital outcomes study using fresh whole blood to resuscitate trauma patients with significant bleeding. The team will consider a range of factors to determine whether such transfusions are achievable in a civilian trauma center and whether resuscitation using fresh whole blood is superior to component therapy in these specific patients.
“Advances in trauma surgery often come from military experience in the field. We are pleased that the NTI is helping facilitate this important research that will help gauge whether the use of fresh whole blood is feasible in civilian trauma settings,” said Cryer, a professor in the department of surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
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