CCEMS & ESD 48 First in U.S. to Deploy Whole Blood

On August 24, 2017 at approximately 7:30 pm Cypress Creek EMS became one of only two ground EMS systems in the country to carry Whole Blood in the field 24/7/365. The other agency is our partner in the program, Harris County ESD 48 Fire Department/EMS which deployed whole blood on Friday August 18. Exactly one year ago, CCEMS deployed packed red blood cells and plasma for the first time. Since then 133 units have been administered to 72 patients. About 56% percent were medical in nature such as gastrointestinal bleeding and 44% were trauma patients. Here’s the breakdown on trauma. While we enjoyed great success with the blood products program, we knew that whole blood had additional clotting factors such as platelets and that recent battlefield experience indicated the possibility of even better results. The first shipment of whole blood was delivered around 5 pm on August 24th and was checked in, tagged and documented by Supply Manager and Supervisor Vaughan Miller before being deployed into the field. Special Operations Director Wren Nealy reviewed the protocols with CCEMS Supervisors earlier in the day.
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Patient Care Industry News Source Type: news