Hampton Roads EMS crews increase blood transfusions in the field; why it’s important

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A relatively new tool is in place to help trauma victims such as gunshot wound patients and car crash victims: blood transfusions at the scene of the incident.

Some may not realize, but when responding to a scene where a person is bleeding, emergency medical crews have typically used a saline solution in the past, along with techniques and tools to stop bleeding and open the person’s airways. But Tidewater EMS personnel say studies show that administering whole blood right away, versus waiting until the patient gets to a hospital, can mean the difference between life and death.

Virginia Beach was the first city in Hampton Roads to use whole blood in the field, starting last fall. At the one-year mark, they’re announcing ways they’re expanding the program.

“The majority of our transfusions have been gunshot victims with a couple of stabbing patients in there as well, and that is followed by motor vehicle accidents,” said David Long, Executive Director of Tidewater EMS Council.

Tidewater EMS feels it’s been so successful that they’re now putting the blood in two supervisor vehicles as opposed to just one. The Whole Blood Initiative is also being used in Chesapeake, and Long says by November, it will be in Portsmouth. He hopes Suffolk will be next, then Norfolk.

Long explained that it is costly, and that’s one reason why in the past, first responders across the country had not been using blood on the scene. Storage and transport are also difficult. It needs to be kept in a high-tech cooler and then warmed before giving it to the patient in the ambulance.

For more information including how you can help either donate blood or give financially to support these efforts, click here.

News 3 will be updating this story with further information.