DES MOINES, Wash. — Inside a marked Medic One SUV is a supply of blood that's kept in a cooler and ready to go anywhere in south King County.
“People who have worked in this industry for many, many years have had patients where they wish they had blood and were able to give it in the field,” said Rick Arnone, medical services officer for King County Medic One.
Arnone is the lead on the county's new field blood transfusion program. Medic One is an ambulance service that covers 600 square miles south of Seattle. The technology isn’t new, but delivering it to patients in the field is – a practice pioneered by the military that’s now working its way into the civilian world.
The Seattle Fire Department began carrying blood for in-field transfusions in 2018.
“The patients that are getting this are penetrating trauma patients right now. That is the pilot study we’re doing which is shootings and stabbings,” Arnone said.
If there is a patient that needs blood – and If Arnone can get there in time, a transfusion in the field can be lifesaving, If not the patient is transported to the hospital as normal.
“Giving blood at the point of injury is a lifesaving measure it starts the process of getting the patient to blood and getting them to hemodynamic stability versus having to wait to get to the hospital,” Arnone said.
The new pilot program is yet again shining a light on the importance of blood donations. A supply that fell dangerously low during the pandemic prompting a public plea from area blood banks.
Vicki Finson is the executive vice president of Blood Services for Bloodworks Northwest.
“Being vaccinated, yes or no, does not play into blood donation. You don’t have to be vaccinated to donate,” Finson said in late April.
The Medic One program went live in May. If the program is successful, Arnone hopes it will be picked up by ambulance companies across the country.