DES MOINES, Iowa — EMS crews in Des Moines and West Des Moines are now able to perform blood transfusions on patients while en route to a hospital.
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During a press conference on Monday, officials announced the pilot prehospital blood transfusion program, which provides EMS crews with the equipment needed to perform blood transfusions while on scene or en route to a hospital. Officials said that EMS crews being able to provide blood to patients is a game changer and will help save many more lives.
“With this program we’re now able to take the blood to the scene and we can bridge that gap between the scene and the hospital giving that patient that little bit of time just for us to get us there,” Lt. Dan Davis with the Des Moines Fire Department, said.
“We are injecting the most sophisticated component of hospital care directly into the field, capitalizing on that vital golden hour, to give patients the oxygen care and capacity they desperately need to survive the journey to definitive hospital care. This is a game changer,” Dr. Alex Smith, the medical director at LifeServe Blood Center, said…