LAND O LAKES, Fla. — Pasco County Fire Rescue launched its prehospital blood transfusion program on Dec. 17. The department said its emergency medical service is among the first in Tampa Bay to carry equipment on its ambulances that will allow paramedics to perform transfusions on trauma patients. Chief Ryan Guynn said medical calls make up 83% of incidents PCFR crews respond to, and he expects the kits to be used regularly.
“If you think of any traumatic injury where there’s a significant blood loss, whether it’s a penetrating wound, a car accident, lacerations or medically induced bleeding incidences,” Guynn said of situations where the equipment will be useful. “So, we anticipate using the program quite frequently.”
EMS Supervisor Justin Crook said it’s been a long time coming.
“It sounds like kind of a nerdy thing to say, but we were definitely so stoked to hear about it, and we cannot wait to actually help our citizens with it,” said Crook.
That’s why Crook said he got into EMS nearly 30 years ago — to help people. He’s now one of those trained to give transfusions through the new program.
“Blood goes through the life gun,” Crook said, referring to a device that resembles a water pistol with tubing connected to it. “It will actually go from the bag into the life gun and into the warmer. That warmer will actually bring that cold blood closer to a body temperature so that the blood is actually readily absorbed.”
Pasco County Fire Rescue launched its prehospital blood transfusion program. (Spectrum News/Sarah Blazonis)
Crook said one kit will be on hand in each of the county’s four zones.
“It’s something that we, as field medics, have always wanted to see to get and increase that survival time for our patients, especially the injured, until we can get them to a surgeon,” said Crook.
A study published this year in the journal “Transfusion” says that getting blood before getting to the hospital significantly lowered mortality risk for patients in hemorrhagic shock. It found the procedure could’ve potentially saved more than 21,000 lives nationwide from 2020 to 2023 if it was widely available. According to the study, about one percent of EMS services around the country have prehospital blood programs. The Prehospital Blood Transfusion Coalition lists reimbursement limitations and local regulations that vary from state to state as some of the barriers to making the initiative more widespread. Guynn said the costs for Pasco’s program fits within its operating budget. In Tampa Bay, Manatee County EMS and the Sarasota County Fire Department have similar programs.
“It’s life-saving,” said Guynn. “So, with our new medical direction and with our new EMS team, we’ve realized that we need to be on the forefront of new technology and new resources that are available to us.”
Guynn said PCFR will be supplied with blood through a partnership with Tampa General Hospital’s AeroMed.
Sarah Blazonis
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