FINCASTLE, Va. (WDBJ) -Botetourt County Fire & EMS will carry lifesaving whole blood directly to emergency scenes.
Soon, Botetourt County paramedics will have the capability to perform lifesaving blood transfusions right in the field, bringing critical, hospital-level care directly to patients miles away from the nearest emergency room.
‘Bringing critical care directly to patients’
For emergency responders, severe trauma calls are among the most difficult to handle. EMS officials recall cases like motorcycle crashes down steep embankments where patients quickly lose blood, and traditional fluid resuscitation and blood pressure management simply aren’t enough.
“We never know where we’re going to find ourselves,” Jon Rodgers, Assistant Chief of Emergency Medical Services said. “We can be in Daleville closer to the hospital, but yet we still have a 20-minute-plus transport time. Or we could be hiking into the woods, and we actually have to hike in for an hour and take that person out for an hour before we even get to an ambulance.”…