MENASHA (WLUK) — Gold Cross Ambulance is now the second emergency response service in Wisconsin equipped to provide whole blood transfusions to patients in life-threatening medical situations.

This comes just weeks after the Wauwatosa Fire Department went live with the integration of whole blood products.

“In the past, trauma care and emergency medical care were quite limited. In reality, we focused on securing the airway, controlling any major bleeding, and getting to a trauma center as quickly as possible. quickly possible,” explained Nick Romenesko, executive director of Gold Cross. Ambulance. “Now we have a whole new tool in the toolkit for our paramedics and nurses who are in our rapid response vehicle, to be able to infuse whole blood into these patients to replace what they lost following a traumatic incident.”

Until March 2024, first responders were not permitted by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to offer patients whole blood transfusions. Romenesko said this is due to a lack of research on the administration of whole blood in the prehospital setting by paramedics and EMTs.

But after a rule change, first responders are now allowed to administer blood transfusions on scene or in the back of an ambulance transporting a patient to a hospital. Gold Cross officials say it will make a big difference in emergency medical situations where every second counts.

“This will give us the ability to correct life-threatening hemorrhages and life-threatening blood dyscrasias due to trauma, so that means better outcomes for our patients,” said Erin Rusch, Gold Cross chief operating officer.

Some patients will not survive and will not even survive to get blood in the hospital at trauma centers. We’ve seen many patients, even right here in our area, say that having blood in the field is absolutely essential to even getting them to the trauma center.

Gold Cross has worked extensively with local hospitals, blood banks and trauma specialists to equip themselves to transport whole blood products. Its EMS team has also undergone specialized training to ensure safe and effective transfusion procedures.