Whole Blood in EMS May Save Lives

The case for the use of whole blood in prehospital civilian medicine The administration of whole blood is the simplest way to deliver the functionality of lost blood back to the patient. Photos courtesy Andrew Fisher You're called to the home of a 38-year-old woman who has been fainting. When you arrive, her husband tells you that she's been experiencing heavy vaginal bleeding for about two weeks. She recently underwent a caesarean-section delivery of her second child. On exam, she appears pale and sweaty, with notable pallor of the lips and gums. Her eyes remain closed as she stumbles over her words and barely follows commands. Her initial set of vitals are as follows: >>Blood pressure (BP): 71/55 mmHg >>Heart rate (HR): 116 beats per minute >>Respiratory rate (RR): 28 breaths per minute >>Temperature: 36°C (96.8°F) >>Point-of-care lactate: 4.7 mmol/L Your patient complains of shortness of breath and appears to lose consciousness several times as you load her into your ambulance. You suspect that she's suffering from hypovolemic shock secondary to blood loss. What would be your fluid of choice for resuscitation? Increasing numbers of EMS agencies are developing the capability to administer blood products to patients in need. Although this relatively new therapy in EMS appears to decrease mortality, there's more that can be done.
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Trauma Patient Care Source Type: news