VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — For first responders, the standard practice for treating a trauma patient starts with an IV before getting them to the hospital.
"IV fluids don't carry oxygen, so it's a temporary bridge device," said Chief Ed Brazle with Virginia Beach EMS.
Brazle said the true benefit is giving that patient blood.
"For certain types of trauma patients, getting the blood in earlier prevents them from going into shock and having oxygenation issues," he explained.
A new program in Hampton Roads is bringing that emergency room capability to the field. It's called the Whole Blood Initiative where first responders can administer blood to patients before sending them to the hospital.
"We know that trauma is the leading cause of death in people age 46 and under who typically don't have medical problems," said David Long, the executive director of the Tidewater EMS Council.
According to Long, council leaders learned the program was a new way to improve care and survivability in Hampton Roads.
"We can actually reduce the mortality rate down by 30%," Long said, adding it takes just minutes to administer.
"We use a portable blood cooler that maintains the blood temperature at four degrees Celsius and then we have administration equipment that warms the blood when it's administered and a hand pump to quickly deliver it."
Virginia Beach will be the first in Hampton Roads to use the program, starting off with one car that will respond to trauma-related incidents. The Tidewater EMS Council is spearheading the program that is costing about $250,000 to implement.
"It's really exciting to try new technology and capability for patient care. EMS medicine is a big part of it," Brazle said.
Virginia Beach EMS plans to deploy the program in October.
Long said this is a phased effort and hopes to expand the program to other cities when more funding is identified. When that happens, he said data will show first responders across Hampton Roads would administer about 240 units of blood each year. Each unit contains about 450 to 500 milliliters of blood.
Long said first responders can use the blood for about 14 days.
Brazle is confident his department will use every drop to save lives.
"Our data indicate that it's going to be used in that 14-day period and we're going to be very aggressive about trying not to waste blood," Brazle said.
In order to get some of that blood, they need it donated. The Tidewater EMS Council plans to hold quarterly blood drives. The council has one coming up on September 27 in Chesapeake. You can register online.