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INDIANAPOLIS — Eskenazi Health announced on Monday that Indianapolis EMS recently performed their first ever on-scene life saving blood transfusion.
IEMS had been working since 2022 to develop a field blood program with Eskenazi Health. The program was deployed successfully within the last two weeks when IEMS responded to a patient who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was in shock. Due to the blood transfusion the patient stabilized and was transported to a local trauma center. For patient privacy the exact date and name are not being released. The patient is expected to recover.
Eskenazi Health said that the success of this procedure highlights the importance of community blood donations. “Everyday, citizens of Indianapolis need blood in the hospital for many reasons. It could be because they undergo major surgery, it could be that they have a medical condition that lowers their blood count or their platelets, or they’ve experienced traumatic forms of shock.” said Doctor Mark Liao, the medical director of Indianapolis EMS.
He went on to further state that donated blood is only good for a short span of time and that continued donations are important. “Blood is precious. We can only store it for a certain amount of time. We need people to be generous and donate on a regular basis.” said Liao.
A full interview with Dr. Mark Liao can be heard here:
