Evidence-based guidelines for bleeding in trauma patients: where do we go from here?

The development of evidence-based guidelines has gained popularity as a strategy to reduce variation in practice and to orient clinical care around documentable best practices. Based on available data, the new European guidelines for the management of bleeding in the trauma patient do deliver a number of sound recommendations. However, some issues remain controversial and, like many guidelines, the actual translation of these evidence-based recommendations into routine clinical practice protocols continues to leave opportunity for variation. Nevertheless, this consensus guideline provides an excellent starting point. As evidence continues to accumulate, future iterations should provide greater specificity and move us closer to the definitive best practice.