A new program to make blood transfusions available to critically injured people in Ventura County has been used for the first time, and is being credited with helping to save the life of a seriously injured man.
The County Fire Department’s rescue ambulances are adding whole blood to their emergency supply kits so they can do transfusions at the scene of an emergency, and en route to emergency rooms. Thursday night was its first big test.
Related story: Saving lives! New program in Ventura County puts blood for emergency transfusions in ambulances
A man had been stabbed in Oxnard. The wound punctured an artery.
Oxnard Police officers worked to stop the bleeding, and then Ventura County firefighter/paramedics started a transfusion to replace lost blood.
“We’ve got a guy who’s circling the drain, low blood pressure, in and out of consciousness, and you get him to the hospital and he’s awake, and he’s talking, and he’s got good skin color. It’s just amazing,” said Aiman Alton, who was a firefighter/paramedic on the rescue team.
The man had a close call, but survived. It’s the first time a transfusion of this type has taken place in California.
The blood transfusion effort is a pilot program now, but is gradually being rolled out countywide.
