VIDEO: New Castle County's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) division launched a new pilot program on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, aimed at improving the medical outcome for trauma patients.
Two supervisors' vehicles began carrying whole blood which EMS Captain Kelli Starr-Leach said is cutting edge trauma care, and it's only being utilized by a small number of agencies.
"Whole blood is the gold standard to replace that fluid for a patient in traumatic hemorrhagic shock," said Starr-Leach. "This is changing trauma care and it's going to take hold and change it across the country."
Starr-Leach said the process of introducing the whole blood into a trauma patient in the field has been the result of work by the Army to develop the necessary packing materials, and technology, to cold storage the blood but then warm it quickly for patient use.