Williamson County EMS now equipped for lifesaving blood transfusions on scene
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — In partnership with We Are Blood, Williamson County EMS paramedics are giving blood transfusions on scene, cutting down the time it takes for a patient to receive a lifesaving infusion.
WCEMS and We Are Blood celebrated this milestone with a blood drive at EMS headquarters Wednesday morning.
WCEMS Lieutenant Paramedic Davis Winget donated blood for the first time during the drive and has already performed a blood transfusion in the field.
He said a patient was in a crash and was rapidly bleeding out, in dire need of a critical infusion. Winget said this scene was on the outskirts of the county, 30 minutes from the nearest hospital.
"Without that blood, it absolutely would have meant that patient would have gone into cardiac arrest. I'm not kidding you, within five minutes of giving that blood they they turned around completely," Winget said.
According to Kevin Krienke, shift commander for WCEMS, medics started giving critically sick or injured patients blood transfusions in December.
He said the blood products are stored in specialized coolers inside the agency's ambulances. Krienke said the blood must stay between 1-6 degrees at all times, with medics checking on a routine basis to make sure the equipment is working.
"When somebody needs blood, they kind of need it now. Even in an urban area where there's a hospital, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour for that patient to get blood. Now that we're carrying blood we can get at these patients within minutes," Krienke said.
Nick Canedo, vice president of community engagement for We Are Blood, said Austin-Travis County EMS has already seen success with a similar program launched in 2021.
"Over the first two years of the program with Austin-Travis County EMS, they performed over 200 blood transfusions in the field as a result of this program existing, which is proof of the effectiveness and need," Canedo said.
He said he expects more positive outcomes for patients in Williamson County.