The future of hemorrhage control

Hemorrhage remains, by far, the leading cause of preventable death from trauma in both civilians and combat casualties. The chapters in this monograph by experts in the field have well documented the historic backdrop of this vexing problem as well as the current state of the art in managing hemorrhage and mitigating the death and disability that results from acute blood loss. There have, indeed been significant advances in the area of hemorrhage control and the management of hemorrhagic shock, but much work remains to be done. In the following paragraphs, potential areas of future investigation are reviewed in detail. Specific focus areas for further investigation include further improvements in trauma systems, mechanical hemostatic approaches, topical agents, and systemic infusions. All of these areas are full of potential to improve the early recognition and acute management of hemorrhage, and progress in these areas will undoubtedly serve to reduce the lethality of trauma.