Photo By Master Sgt. Thomas Duval | Trauma surgeons and nurses attached to the 8th Forward Resuscitation Surgical Team,...... read more read more
Blood loss due to battlefield wounds and injuries is a serious concern for U.S. Warfighters preparing for potential conflicts across the globe. The seconds, minutes, and hours after a casualty is wounded are critical to preventing combat trauma-related death.
U.S. casualty survival rates increased dramatically between WWII and Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, in large part due to improved protection and treatment, better equipment and training, more robust medical logistics capabilities, and quicker medevac times. However, hemorrhage control and treatment – and the ability of medical providers at and near the front lines to arrange for casualty transportation to higher echelons of care – remain vitally important.
To answer these challenges, the Defense Health Agency is focused on preparing the U.S. Joint Force for the operations of today and the battlefields of tomorrow. DHA’s Operational Medical Systems team, based at Fort Detrick, Maryland, works with expert stakeholders across the Department of Defense, academia, and industry to develop solutions for America’s Warfighters, including hemorrhage control and blood replacement therapy programs to equip frontline providers with the lifesaving and life-prolonging treatments they require.
Managing severe bleeding in theater
“The OPMED blood program seeks to prevent deaths due to hemorrhage, the leading cause of preventable death on the battlefield,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Stephen Crimmins, a product manager with OPMED’s Warfighter Protection and Acute Care Project Management Office. “Cryopreserved platelets are one part of a larger blood program that also includes cold stored platelets and freeze-dried plasma.”
All three components of the program are critical in supporting hemorrhage control from the point of injury through the Role 3 level of trauma care, according to Crimmins. This broad-based development approach will give military medical providers more options for treatment – and provide refined control over blood product use and inventory management.
Platelet transfusions are essential in managing severe bleeding, but product shelf life and limited availability can pose logistical challenges in a far-forward environment. Cryopreserved platelets, or CPP, can be stored frozen for up to 5 years – providing a long-lasting alternative that can be deployed in both military and civilian healthcare settings.
Recently, OPMED’s commercial partner, Cellphire Therapeutics, Inc., received U.S. Food and Drug Administration “Fast Track” designation for its CPP treatment protocol, which is being developed for use when conventional platelets are not available or are in short supply. The designation, granted under the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, is designed to expedite the development and review of drugs that address serious conditions and have the potential to fill an unmet medical need.
In this case, it means CPP is one step closer to potential approval for use in future combat trauma treatment.
“The Fast Track designation provides several benefits, including more frequent communication with the FDA, rolling review of completed sections of a submission, and eligibility for accelerated approval and priority review,” said Crimmins. “We feel that these benefits will help to quickly resolve problems as they come up and allow for an expedited review of the CPP submission – which could result in a faster delivery time of CPP to Warfighters.”
Expanding treatment options
A common issue with combat trauma hemorrhaging is coagulopathy, or the inability of blood to form clots, sometimes caused by platelet deficiency due to blood loss. During combat trauma treatment, medical providers can transfuse platelets to help stabilize patients – but traditional platelet treatments may be in short supply or impractical to administer at and near the front lines. Having an alternative, like the cryopreserved platelets that are currently in development, may give future providers another treatment option to decrease the likelihood of mortality in wounded service members.
In addition, having a wide selection of hemorrhage control products will help to fill the blood capability gap at distinct roles of care – providing more opportunities for lifesaving intervention. This combined approach with conventional platelets, cryopreserved platelets, and other blood replacement therapies will aid in improving survivability and reducing the impact of logistical lines crossing hundreds or thousands of miles, according to U.S. Army Lt. Col. Andrea Mountney, WPAC’s deputy program manager.
“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to hemorrhage control or blood replacement therapies, especially in the critical moments after a catastrophic wound or injury,” said Mountney. “In resource-limited environments and potential conflict areas with contested and congested logistics, it is imperative to have a multi-tiered approach for blood replacement therapies.”
Because of the large geographic distances in places like the Indo-Pacific – which comprises roughly 52% of the Earth’s surface – medevac capabilities for frontline providers may be more limited than during previous conflicts. The evolving nature of U.S. defense strategy places a premium on light logistical footprints, small-unit independence, and mission-specific force structures to maximize lethality while increasing maneuverability in littoral regions.
Developing lifesaving and life-prolonging blood products will go a long way toward meeting the mission needs of combatant commanders preparing for future large-scale combat operations in austere environments across the globe, according to Mountney.
“The cryopreserved platelets we are developing help to directly equip frontline medics, corpsmen, and health care providers with another tool to prolong life while awaiting medevac and mitigate the effects of severe bleeding when traditional options are exhausted,” she said. “Blood and blood products continue to be one of the most valuable resources in combat medicine – it is critical to have as many treatment options as possible.”
About Operational Medical Systems
OPMED, a component of the Defense Health Agency, is the Department of Defense's leading force in medical development and acquisition, focused on enhancing warfighter lethality and readiness. We develop and deliver next-generation, world-class medical capabilities that empower combatant commanders in Large-Scale Combat Operations, particularly within austere environments. Our mission is twofold: to save lives on the battlefield and to swiftly return injured service members to duty.
We equip medical providers across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Special Forces with cutting-edge tools and technologies to deliver lifesaving and life-prolonging care at the point of injury. By collaborating with stakeholders across the DoD, academia, and industry, OPMED ensures the American Joint Force is prepared to fight and win in any environment, including the demanding conditions of the Indo-Pacific and Arctic regions.
We remain dedicated to advancing battlefield medicine, directly contributing to the DoD's core missions of warfighting, lethality, readiness, and return to duty.
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2025 13:01 |
| Story ID: | 497519 |
| Location: | FORT DETRICK, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Defense Health Agency’s OPMED Program Management Office advances blood products to support Warfighters, by T. T. Parish, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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