AHN prehospital blood program to serve northern Butler County
A new program created by Allegheny Health Network will benefit northern Butler County. It is intended to provide patients in urgent need with blood before arriving at the hospital.
According to AHN’s prehospital care services, a new prehospital blood program “will enable AHN paramedics to administer blood products to critically injured and ill patients before they reach the hospital.”
A news release from AHN said regions the program’s paramedic response units will serve include “northern Butler County areas,” as well as other townships throughout Western Pennsylvania.
The program includes each regional response team having its own paramedic response unit vehicle to provide support during high-priority emergency calls such as vehicle accidents, cardiac arrest and other life-threatening emergencies. Each vehicle within the five deployment areas will be able to carry Type O blood products in temperature-monitored refrigeration units.
The efforts are important, AHN notes in its news release, due to the sheer need for blood. It also significantly impacts patients chances of living with what little time they may have when injured.
“Prehospital blood transfusion is an emerging best practice in emergency medicine that allows clinicians to begin replacing blood lost through traumatic injury and other life-threatening emergencies before a patient arrives at a hospital,” the AHN news release said.
According to the Stop the Bleed coalition, which AHN cites, 31,000-60,000 Americans die each year from severe blood loss, often within minutes of injury. Research shows earlier access to blood products can improve outcomes for patients experiencing severe hemorrhage, “where minutes can make a critical difference.”
