The walking blood bank: an alternative blood supply in military mass casualties.

Planning health care for unknown situations is inevitably difficult. This case demonstrates how the US Navy used the WBB to provide blood replacement in a hemorrhaging patient when no other source of blood was available. Although transfusion at sea is a rare event, the availability of a well-planned blood transfusion program prevented a fatality and ultimately returned a sailor to his ship. It was an excellent test of materials, process, and personnel.