Overview
- Metro EMS says it has administered 100 units of whole blood to 91 patients through its pre‑hospital program and that 88% of those patients left the hospital after receiving a transfusion.
- Two specialized EMS units stocked with whole blood are dispatched to calls likely to need transfusion, including shootings, stabbings and severe car crashes, under new training and protocols.
- Metro EMS began a partnership with UofL Health to transfer unused pre‑hospital blood nearing expiration into hospital inventory so it can be used rather than wasted.
- The American Red Cross and local blood centers supply the program and Metro EMS is urging community members to donate blood to sustain the limited inventory.
- Louisville was the first city in Kentucky to offer ambulance‑based whole‑blood transfusions and local officials say the program has substantially raised survival, prompting interest from other jurisdictions.