ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County Fire Rescue is celebrating a milestone in a program that allows EMS crews to give blood transfusions to patients before they arrive at a hospital.
Saturday marks six months since the pre-hospital whole blood initiative launched on March 21.
The program is a first-of-its-kind for Central Florida and is in partnership with the Orange County Medical Director, Orlando Health and OneBlood.
Whole blood is often used to treat trauma patients who have sustained significant blood loss and are in dire need of all blood components at one time.
The new level of emergency medical service can buy time for trauma patients and drastically increase their chance of survival when they arrive at the hospital.
“We knew that this program was going to save lives, but to be able to quantify it has been extremely rewarding,” OCFR Chief Scott Egan said.
According to OCFR, 56 patients have been transfused, with a total of 74 units of blood administered.
On the six-month mark, a call also continues for blood donations, especially Type O.
“Type O blood can be given to anyone, regardless of the recipient’s blood type,” OneBlood Senior Vice President Susan Forbes said. “People with Type O blood hold a vital role in our community and it’s important that they donate on a regular basis to ensure this critical blood type is available for the pre-hospital whole blood program.”
OCFR said the goal is to expand the program and increase the number of units that carry whole blood.
For details on how to donate blood, visit https://www.oneblood.org/
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