FORT WORTH, Texas 鈥� Patients suffering from major blood loss in Fort Worth and nearby communities can now receive lifesaving blood transfusions before reaching the hospital, city officials announced on April 22.
Two Fort Worth EMS supervisor vehicles have been equipped with universal blood units to provide emergency transfusions at the scene of serious injuries or medical emergencies across Fort Worth and 14 surrounding municipalities, reported.
At a news conference, Dr. Jeff Jarvis, medical director and chief medical officer for the Fort Worth Office of the Medical Director, emphasized that traumatic injuries are the leading cause of death for people under 45, with blood loss being the top preventable cause of death among them.
鈥淲e now have the opportunity to give them back the thing that they are losing,鈥� Jarvis said. 鈥淎nd by doing it in the field, we have the opportunity to save precious minutes while we鈥檙e getting these patients to our partners in the trauma system.鈥�
Every year, an estimated 31,000 Americans die from blood loss after an injury鈥攎any before they ever reach an operating room. For the first time, Fort Worth ambulances are equipped to give blood transfusions to trauma patients BEFORE they reach the hospital.
— Fort Worth Fire Department (@FortWorthFire)
This collaborative鈥�
Fort Worth鈥檚 new blood program, two years in the making, launches amid broader EMS system reforms aimed at boosting response times, cutting costs and improving care. It is funded by the Fire Department and managed with partners including the Office of the Medical Director, MedStar, JPS Hospital and Carter BloodCare.
The launch of Fort Worth鈥檚 blood program follows Dallas Fire-Rescue鈥檚 pilot program, introduced two months earlier. Together, they mark a major step forward in emergency care for bleeding patients across the DFW area, aligning local EMS with top standards seen elsewhere in Texas.
