William Rowell asks whether civilian trauma units should change how they manage injuries that involve massive loss of blood

Traumatic injuries with haemorrhage are among the leading causes of death in military and civilian settings. Following recent combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, the UK military has made advances in, for example, first-responder haemorrhage control, massive transfusion protocols and equipment, and it is important that staff in ED settings study the results. With reference to a case study concerning a patient who received a fatal stab wound to his femoral artery, this article examines the haemorrhage-control methods adopted by military and civilian emergency medical services to determine if any lessons can be learned and applied to similar cases.