Paris EMS is preparing to put blood products in the field, giving paramedics the ability to begin potentially lifesaving transfusions before critically bleeding patients reach a hospital.
The department has been developing its pre-hospital blood transfusion program for about two years. Paris EMS officials told the Paris City Council Aug. 24 that crews have undergone training and the department is working through the final steps needed before launching the program.
The potential benefit is particularly significant in Lamar County, where geography can add considerable time between an injury and hospital treatment.
The county covers about 930 square miles. Paris EMS told council members some locations are more than 30 miles from a hospital and more than 120 miles from a Level I trauma center.
For a patient experiencing severe blood loss, those minutes matter. EMS officials cited data showing severe bleeding as a leading cause of death among trauma patients and said their goal is to begin replacing lost blood much earlier in the course of treatment.
Rather than placing blood aboard every ambulance, Paris EMS plans to begin with a single-unit deployment model. Blood will be kept in a specialized portable refrigerator aboard the department's medical command vehicle, which can respond alongside an ambulance when a patient may need a transfusion.
Potential uses include serious traumatic injuries and vehicle crashes as well as obstetrical, gastrointestinal and other severe bleeding emergencies.
Patients must meet specific medical criteria before receiving blood. The program operates under physician-approved protocols, and every transfusion will undergo review by the department's medical director.
The department has also established procedures for continuously monitoring the temperature and location of blood products. Crews will use equipment capable of warming refrigerated blood as it is administered to a patient.
Paris EMS reported startup costs of about $22,400, with approximately $2,400 paid by the City of Paris. Most of the funding has come through the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Northeast Texas Regional Advisory Council.
Carter BloodCare will supply blood products for the program. Paris EMS is also working on a rotation process intended to return unused blood to the medical system before it expires.
The department expects the service to eventually be available 24 hours a day. Officials said remaining work includes full-scale practice runs and resolving blood-product availability.
Once those pieces are in place, Paris EMS expects the program could launch between mid-September and Oct. 1.
The department also anticipates holding quarterly community blood drives as the program creates additional demand for the regional blood supply.
Listen above for KETR's full report on how the program will work and why Paris EMS officials say bringing blood to the patient could save critical time in an emergency.
