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DC Fire & EMS perform emergency blood transfusions in the field for the first time

First responders say the transfusions likely saved victims of gunshot wounds on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — DC Fire & EMS rolled out the Whole Blood Program on April 2. This week, that program helped potentially save two lives in two days. Whole Blood allows first responders to perform blood transfusions at the scene of someone experiencing trauma or serious hemorrhaging.

“We have saved lives this week," said Dr. David Vitberg the Assistant Medical Director with DC Fire & EMS.

Two gunshot victims, including one Thursday night in Southeast DC.

“I kid you not, reanimated this patient," said Vitberg. "This patient went from, in my medical review of the case, imminently dying to awake, alert, conversing with our paramedic.”

That paramedic was Sgt. Daniel Lottes who responded to the scene and performed the transfusion which lasted only three minutes.

"From the time I got there to the time we started infusing was less than two minutes," said Lottes. “The hospital was even prepared to give her more blood and she didn’t even need it when we got there.”

Because of the pilot program, five EMS supervisors around the District are carrying a bag of blood. Soon, they hope eight supervisors will be able to perform transfusions wherever someone may need them.

“It’s hard to predict, right? But it’s possible we could save a couple of lives a week," said Chief John A. Donnelly Sr. with DC Fire & EMS.

"We did due diligence, we looked at the data and the data is indisputable, that for every minute that transfusion is delayed for a patient that is suffering from hemorrhage, the risk of a patient dying goes up somewhere from two to five percent," said Vitberg.

But the program can't have success without the public’s help.

“The blood that we use is low-titer, type-O blood and that is in particular short supply and so if you are O-positive or O-negative, your blood is needed," said Vitberg.

RELATED: DC paramedics perform first in-field blood transfusion

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