Groundbreaking system provides 22-county safety net for trauma victims
The whole-blood transfusion system saving trauma victims’ lives across South Texas is the product of cooperation among a diverse range of organizations.
Launched five years ago and patterned after a similar program in the U.S. Army, the program provides specially screened type O-positive blood to emergency responders to use in the field, on the way to the hospital and in the city’s two Level I trauma centers. The blood can be transfused into any patient.
The program received initial funding by the San Antonio Medical Foundation, and it was launched through an agreement among South Texas Blood & Tissue; the South Texas Regional Advisory Council, which coordinates emergency care in 22 counties; University Health System; the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research; UT Health Science Center-San Antonio; and major medical helicopter services.
“Our staff at South Texas Blood & Tissue, and our medical community partners and EMS groups, all work in such close collaboration that there’s no other place in this entire country or maybe the world where they’re saving trauma victims like this,” said Adrienne Mendoza, Chief Operating Officer, South Texas Blood & Tissue.
Dr. Ronald M. Stewart, a surgeon at University Health’s Level I trauma center and Chair of the Department of Surgery at UT Health San Antonio, agreed.
“If you don’t remember anything else said here, remember this: Cooperation and communication saves lives,” he said. “This program is a prime example of that.”
Military, civilian research
The concept of whole-blood transfusion was pioneered in South Texas by Dr. Donald Jenkins, who worked on a similar program for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and a pilot program at the Mayo Clinic before coming to University Health System and UT Health San Antonio.
In the last five years, the program has expanded to San Antonio Fire Department units, and hospitals and EMS services throughout the 22-county region.
“In my 22 years in the field, this is by far the most significant development in pre-hospital care,” said Bill Bullock, EMS Lieutenant and Medic Officer with the San Antonio Fire Department.
Heroes in Arms
The Heroes in Arms program at South Texas Blood & Tissue reaches out to potential donors and provides the specially screened whole blood. A combination of greater demand and new screening has allowed South Texas Blood & Tissue to open the program to certain female donors.
A study published in the Annals of Surgery journal last year showed the value of the whole blood transfusion program, which has attracted interest from emergency providers across the nation. It showed that giving trauma patients whole blood – rather than one of the blood’s components alone – reduces mortality rates by 48%.
Are you an O-positive donor who’d like to join Heroes in Arms? Contact us today at 210-731-5590 to find out if you are eligible.
