Cabell County EMS and St. Mary’s Medical Center partner to put blood units in ambulances

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — Time is critical when trying to get medical help to a trauma patient that may be losing blood. St. Mary’s Medical Center and Cabell County Emergency Medical Services have team up for a first of its kind program in West Virgina, getting blood to trauma patients before they get to a hospital.

The program began November 8th and is the first of its kind in the state, and the 116th program in the nation. Two units of blood are available to Cabell County EMS workers per shift.

“The quicker we can administer the blood, the better outcome the patient has,” said Cabell County EMS Director Gordon Merry.

He says ground transportation may be the only option to get needed blood to an emergency when air transportation is not an option.

“You have the golden hour. This is adding to that golden hour. This is making it better by being able to administer old blood to our patients, basically our trauma patients,” said Merry.

The program is in the trial phase. It’s the first in West Virginia and will serve as a model for other services in the state.

“We’re expecting at least one per month at a minimum of potential trauma patients, and this is life changing for that patient,” said Angie Swearingen, St. Mary’s Medical Center Chief Operating Officer.

“There have been several instances of car wrecks, shootings and things of that nature that we would have benefited having the product while the program was in development,” said Julia Deto with Cabell County EMS.

The units of blood are kept in a cooler and changed every 24 hours. Paramedics say a person’s blood type is not an issue and welcome the opportunity to save lives that they did not have before.

“We stop the bleeding, gave maintenance fluids before hospital to get the blood. Now we are getting that at the beginning,” said Captain Derrick Ray of Cabell County EMS.

Officials hope to expand the program in the future with more units of blood on more ambulances.