MARIETTA — Under an initiative launched by the Cobb Fire Department Friday, paramedics will carry blood products to allow for emergency blood transfusions before patients are transported to the hospital.
“This program represents a major advancement in pre-hospital emergency medicine and underscores our commitment to delivering the highest level of care to our community,” said Cobb Fire EMS Division Chief Nick Adams. “Every second matters in trauma care, and by administering blood products at the point of injury, we can provide life-saving interventions sooner.”
The Cobb Fire Medical Operations team, stationed at Cobb County Fire Station 2 in Marietta, will be the first unit to participate in the program. The team and their rescue truck will be equipped with packed red blood cells, plasma and the proper equipment to safely conduct a blood transfusion while in the field.
The team’s 15 qualified paramedics received specialized training and certification to administer blood products to patients safely and effectively.
Adams said this new equipment is meant to enhance trauma care while in the field and to improve survival rates for patients suffering life-threatening bleeding before they arrive at the hospital.
“Studies have shown that the earlier you collect blood, your chances of survival increase by about 150%,” he said. “Other agencies that are doing this … are seeing major increases to survivability.”
The MedOps team’s rescue truck received an upgrade to hold two new kits, one for storing the blood and plasma, and the other for storing the blood transfusion equipment. Among the new pieces of equipment including hand pumps, specialized tubing and a warming system to heat up the blood as it is transferred to the victim.
“If you are hemorrhaging, we want to get that blood back in, we need to replace it as quickly as possible,” MedOps firefighter and paramedic Alec Nichols said. “If it’s coming out quickly, we need to put it back in quickly.”
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The initiative was brought to life through a partnership with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, a nonprofit organization that provides blood products to hospitals and emergency responders across the region.
LifeSouth District Director of Georgia Lori Russell said Cobb Countians can help their efforts by donating blood.
“We are excited to begin this new partnership with Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services and are grateful for the opportunity to support the vital work they do in our community,” Russell said.
According to Adams, the Cobb MedOps team will be dispatched to every incident in the county where there is potentially serious bleeding, including major car wrecks, shootings, stabbings and other blood emergencies.
Based on how the Pre-Hospital Blood Transfusion program performs, Adams said Cobb Fire will consider expanding it to more fire stations across the county.
Cobb County Fire is one of the first departments in the state to carry blood and plasma into the field, according to the county.
Friday is both Valentine’s Day and National Donor Day.
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