Abstract Introduction Retrospective studies have demonstrated a potential survival benefit from transfusion strategies using an early and more balanced ratio between fresh frozen plasma (FFP) concentration and packed red blood cell (pRBC) transfusions in patients with acute traumatic coagulopathy requiring massive transfusions. These results have mostly been derived from non-head-injured patients. The aim of the present study was to analyze whether a regime using a high FFP:pRBC transfusion ratio (FFP:pRBC ratio >1:2) would be associated with a similar survival benefit in severely injured patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) (Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score, head ≥3) as demonstrated for patients without TBI requiring massive transfusion (≥10 U of pRBCs). Methods A retrospective analysis of severely injured patients from the Trauma Registry of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Unfallchirurgie (TR-DGU) was conducted. Inclusion criteria were primary admission, age ≥16 years, severe injury (Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥16) and massive transfusion (≥10 U of pRBCs) from emergency room to intensive care unit (ICU). Patients were subdivided into patients with TBI (AIS score, head ≥3) and patients without TBI (AIS score, head 1:2) and low FFP:pRBC ratio (FFP:pRBC ratio ≤1:2). In addition, morbidity and mortality between the two groups were compared. Results A total of 1,250 data sets of severely injured patients from the TR-DGU between 2002 and 2008 were analyzed. The mean patient age was 42 years, the majority of patients were male (72.3%), the mean ISS was 41.7 points (±15.4 SD) and the principal mechanism of injury was blunt force trauma (90%). Mortality was statistically lower in the high FFP:pRBC ratio groups versus the low FFP:pRBC ratio groups, regardless of the presence or absence of TBI and across all time points studied ( P