Page 29 - JSOM Spring 2025

FIGURE 4 (A) Maximum heart rate during each event (mean [SD])There was no interaction (p=.359), but there was a significant main effect
for time (p<.0001). (B) Estimated maximum core temperature during each event (mean [SD]). There was no interaction (p=.404), but there
was a significant main effect for time (p<0.0001). (C) Blood lactate immediately following each event (mean [SD]). There was no interaction
(p=.590), but there was a significant main effect for time (p<.0001). (D) Salivary Osmolality immediately following each event (mean [SD]).
There was no interaction (p=.574) or main effect for time (p=.13).

(A) (B)

(C) (D)

11
gauge blood volume loss and performance. Such information authors reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors read
could add to the data available from potential donors. The and approved the final manuscript.
time frame for recovery of performance after donation is also
a potential target for future investigations. Disclosures
The authors have no financial relationships relevant to this
article which to disclose.
Conclusions
Preliminary results were presented at the Special Operations
A standard 450-mL blood donation reduces aspects of physi- Medical Association Conference on 13–17 May 2024.
cally demanding simulated battlefield performance in Special
Forces Soldiers to a moderate, statistically significant degree. Disclaimer
These findings are important since a repeated-measures sham The views expressed in this material are those of the authors,
controlled design is rare in the literature. Additionally, our and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S.
simulated battlefield tasks may have been more demanding Government, the Department of Defense, or the Department
than previous investigations, which may explain why our per- of the Army.
formance decrements were greater than those seen previously.
Funding
Acknowledgments This work was supported by USSOCOM Award # W81XWH-
The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of 20-C-0033.
their colleagues Kathryn Burks, MS, RD; Ray Bear, MS; Evan
Baines, MD; Steve Gisselman, MS; Sarah Weber, MS, RD; Jake References
Blumberg, MS. 1. Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care. TCCC Guidelines.
Joint Trauma System; 2021.
2. Beckett A, Callum J, da Luz LT, et al. Fresh whole blood transfu-
Author Contributions sion capability for special operations forces. Can J Surg. 2015;58(3
BKS and APH collected and analyzed the data and drafted the Suppl 3):S153–S156. doi:10.1503/cjs.012614
original manuscript. MAS, KSB, PGG, KC, and RCC partici- 3. Cap AP, Beckett A, Benov A, et al. Whole Blood Transfusion (CPG
pated in data collection. BKS designed this research, and all ID: 21) Joint Trauma System; 2012.

Blood Donation and Military Performance | 27