Use of fresh frozen plasma: from the 2012 French guidelines to recent advances

Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is widely used by anesthetists and/or intensivists managing bleeding patients. In this context, two clinical situations with different benefit/risk ratio for FFP transfusion should be distinguished: moderate or controlled hemorrhage on one side, and massive hemorrhage on the other. In the former situation, administration of FFP is most often ineffective, associated with potential side effects (pulmonary complications, product shortage) and should therefore be restricted. In case of massive hemorrhage, transfusion of FFP, red blood cells and platelets using a ratio close to 1:1:1 is recommended based on a large number of studies. A goal-directed strategy, based on the utilization of point-of-care hemostatic devices, might be used as an alternative or in combination with this ratio-driven strategy.