LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mayor Craig Greenberg announced that Louisville Metro Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will be the first agency in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to deliver pre-hospital blood and blood products to patients in the field. EMS will partner with the American Red Cross to provide this service, which is offered by less than 1% of EMS agencies nationwide.
“This is an amazing, first-of-its kind in Kentucky program that will save lives,” Greenberg said. “I’m grateful to my colleagues at EMS, who respond to over 120,000 calls each year with high-quality care and always look for ways to improve.”
“About 12 years ago, a group of trauma surgeons at the University of Louisville joined a group of health care systems around the country to begin to look at how we might utilize the hard-earned lessons from the global war on terror to better the care of trauma patients,” said Jason Smith, M.D., trauma surgeon and UofL Health Chief Medical Officer. “One of the things that came out of that was the use of pre-hospital blood and what we might be able to accomplish. Fast forward 12 years, and the data has become quite clear that the sooner we can transfuse someone, the better their chances are of living through their trauma.”
The leading cause of preventable death in trauma victims is loss of blood, and recent studies show that for every minute a traumatic bleeding victim doesn’t get blood, mortality odds increase by 2%. In other cities where blood is being used in the field, trauma patient survival rates have improved on average 75-85%. The program is expected to start April 12, 2025.
Mayor Greenberg also encouraged residents to do their own part, with Metro EMS hosting a blood drive on March 25.
Additional media coverage:
- Louisville EMS to begin using pre-hospital blood while treating patients in the field (WLKY)
- Louisville becomes 1st city in Kentucky to offer trauma victims blood in ambulances (WDRB)
- Louisville Metro EMS to begin pre-hospital blood transfusions (WAVE)
- Louisville ambulances will have blood on site to give to patients in emergencies (WHAS)
