Rochester, N.Y. — A new service allowing emergency crews to administer potentially life-saving blood transfusions before patients reach the hospital is now operating in Rochester — a first for New York state.
The prehospital blood transfusion service, which began operating Sept. 14, is a partnership between University of Rochester Medicine, CHS Ambulance and Strong Memorial Hospital’s blood bank.
The program allows ambulance crews to administer blood at the scene of an injury or while transporting patients to the hospital. Health care officials said in-field blood transfusions have been shown to significantly reduce mortality in severe trauma cases.
CHS and UR Medicine have also developed protocols for storing and handling blood in the field to ensure donated blood does not go to waste.
CHS Chief of Operations Frank Manzo said crews receive blood from the blood bank and carry it for about seven days. If it is not used during that period, it is returned to the blood bank, where it can still be used before expiring. CHS then receives blood with a longer remaining shelf life.
Manzo said the blood bank played an integral role in developing the program, which has been in the works for more than a year.
Health care officials also emphasized the continued need for blood donations to maintain the supply needed for emergency care.