According to a news story from Radio Iowa, a pilot project is underway to develop a statewide model that would allow ambulances to carry blood and administer it in the field before patients reach the hospital. West Des Moines paramedic Brian Rayhons, who is helping lead the effort, says bringing the program to volunteer departments in small towns will be a challenge.
Rayhons says those departments will need to be innovative and work together to create a regionalized system. He adds that he began his career in a small-town department and knows rural agencies often find ways to collaborate.
Rayhons is working with a counterpart at the Des Moines Fire Department to design a model that could be used statewide. Both say data show that giving patients blood before arriving at the hospital dramatically increases their chances of survival.
