INDIANAPOLIS — Medics in Indianapolis used a new portable blood transfusion system to save a patient's life this month, Indianapolis EMS announced.
"Blood is a very precious resource. It has to be controlled at the right temperature," said Dr. Mark Liao, medical director for Indianapolis EMS. "That's the program that we have is to make sure that we can deliver blood safely to those who need it most."
The portable transfusion system comes in two parts. One is a cooler that keeps blood and plasma fresh for about 24 hours. The other part is a device that warms the blood or plasma before it goes into the patient.
Liao called it a "Golden Hour container," because he said it is best to get a trauma patient to an emergency room within a hour of the injury.
The new system was used for the first time this month and saved the life of a patient who had been shot and was very close to dying when the ambulance arrived.
"Recently, we had a patient that was shot multiple times; paramedics could not identify a blood pressure or radio pulse," Liao said.
He said the paramedic gave blood and plasma to the patient at the scene using the new equipment. It was enough, the doctor said, to keep the patient's heart pumping so that the medics were able to find measure a blood pressure.
"That was a big deal in terms of reassessing the patient and seeing how they did," Liao said. "And in this particular case, we can, we can say that it was a life-saving transfusion."
The patient was stabilized, transported to a hospital and is now expected to recover.
This is the first patient to survive thanks to the on-scene transfusion, Liao said. Indianapolis EMS is not releasing the victim's name or details of the incident to preserve patient confidentiality.
The equipment costs about $6,000, Liao said.
Indianapolis EMS and Eskenazi Health launched the field blood program in 2022. It's only used on patients who have suffered the most serious injuries and are bleeding heavily.
"It's important when they go into shock that they get resuscitated with blood or blood products like plasma," Liao said. "The sooner we can get that into someone, the better that they can do."
"The system is inspired by life-saving techniques used on the battlefield," Liao said. "We have learned the lessons from military medicine and translated it to here."
Liao said this system only works because of the many Hoosiers who donate blood. Liao urged folks to donate.
The American Red Cross said last month that the nation's blood supply has fallen to critically low levels and could lead to a delay in hospital procedures.
To find out more about donating blood, visit RedCrossBlood.org or Versiti Blood Center of Indiana at versiti.org.
Contact WRTV reporter Vic Ryckaert at victor.ryckaert@wrtv.com or on X/Twitter: @vicryc.
