Corona Fire Department unveils new blood transfusion program
The Corona Fire Department has officially unveiled their new Prehospital Blood Transfusion Program, which could allow them to save more lives in the field by bringing blood straight to those who urgently need it.
For paramedics and firefighters, getting blood to trauma patients is a matter of life or death. Now, they'll be able to perform blood transfusions in the field thanks to the new blood banks outfitted on their emergency vehicles.
"We are the first in California to have a fire department delivering blood to trauma patients in the field," said Dan Yonan, a spokesperson for Corona Fire Department.
Medic squads are now equipped with Type O blood, carried in handheld coolers like miniature blood banks.
"It's a portable unit, so if we get to the patients and we know it's bad, but we're not sure how bad yet ... we can just throw this cooler on the ambulance with the paramedic and go figure it out on the way to the hospital," said Chris Douglas, EMS Captain for the city of Corona.
Forty percent of trauma victims die due to blood loss, so getting it to them before they end up at the hospital can not only save their lives, but also protect their quality of life.
"Whether it's two weeks less in the ICU, or memories that you're gonna lose because your brain has gone without oxygen for too long," Douglas said.
The blood is kept cold inside of the unit but must be warmed up in a transfuser before it's given to a patient. They say an entire bag can be administered in just two minutes.
Though this is just the first California city to roll out what's being referred to as the "CAL DROP," a prehospital blood transfusion program is expected to arrive in Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angels, Ventura and Sacramento counties soon.
"We're going to be working with neighboring agencies to get their programs underway and hopefully we can see this in every community across California," Yonan said.
Because the new program will essentially require a constant need for blood donations, the Corona Fire Department is hosting a blood drive on Dec. 18 at their headquarters.