Trauma patients in parts of Hillsborough County could soon receive lifesaving blood transfusions within minutes of a 911 call under what Tampa General Hospital says is the nation’s first emergency medical drone delivery program for whole blood.<\/p>\n
The program, announced in a statement by Tampa General on Monday, would use drones to transport units of whole blood directly to first responders treating patients with severe blood loss at emergency scenes.<\/p>\n
Unlike the separated blood components commonly used in hospitals, whole blood contains red blood cells, plasma and platelets, enabling first responders to replace what trauma patients are losing with a single transfusion.<\/p>\n
Tampa General is partnering with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, the University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine, OneBlood and Archer First Response Systems on the effort.<\/p>\n
When dispatchers identify a 911 call involving life-threatening bleeding, firefighters responding to the scene can simultaneously request a drone carrying whole blood. The drones would fly from two Hillsborough fire stations, delivering blood to first responders in an average of less than three minutes across a combined 70-square-mile service area.<\/p>\n
That would allow paramedics to begin transfusions before patients reach the hospital, a step that trauma physicians say can significantly improve survival.<\/p>\n