A new program is making waves in emergency medical care by equipping paramedics with the ability to provide blood transfusions before patients reach the hospital. This initiative is made possible through a $50 million funding boost from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The funding aims to train and equip emergency teams for on-site transfusions during emergencies. The NHTSA highlighted severe blood loss as the leading cause of preventable deaths in crashes. They anticipate this funding could reduce such deaths by 37%.
Johnathan Morrison, a NHTSA Administrator, emphasized the importance of the initiative.
“Every year, we have about 40,000 fatalities on our roads,” Morrison said. “We’re trying to make efforts to really bring these numbers down, and I think one of the more creative approaches in doing so is focusing on post-crash care.”
Currently, there are 300 pre-hospital blood transfusion programs operated by EMS agencies. The grants will allow for the establishment of dozens more, expanding the reach and impact of this life-saving program.
