Man saved by Massachusetts’ first ever whole blood transfusion from car crash site

It took 45 minutes for firefighters to get a 35-year-old man out of a “heavily damaged” car following a car crash on Saturday, officials said. The man’s injuries were extensive, with low blood pressure, shock and internal bleeding.

Quickly, firefighters and paramedics decided to try a new lifesaving method starting at the crash site: whole blood transfusion.

The method had never been done in Massachusetts before, according to the Canton Fire Department. However, in March, the Canton Fire Department and 25 other cities and towns in Massachusetts worked with Boston Medical Center to launch the first pilot program in Massachusetts history for administering whole blood before a patient reaches the hospital, the press release stated.

On Saturday, the fire department put it into action.

The crash happened in Braintree during the early morning hours, officials said. The Braintree Fire Department and Brewster Ambulance paramedics “swiftly” put in a request to the Canton Fire Department for the whole blood transfusion.

Paramedics put the 35-year-old in the ambulance where Canton Fire Field Transfusion Paramedic Michael White and EMT Jonathan Buckley started the transfusion. On his way to Boston Medical Center, the man’s vital signs improved, according to officials. Once at the hospital, he was taken to surgery.

“This groundbreaking program represents a significant advancement in prehospital care and has already proven its worth in it first use,” said Fire Chief Wendell Robery. “The successful administration of whole blood in the field is a testament to our paramedics’ and EMTs’ training, preparedness and dedication. We are grateful for the collaboration with Boston Medical Center and the support of our neighboring communities.”

Transfusions with specific blood components are common in hospital settings and are often used for trauma but whole blood might be becoming more common.

The leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. is massive bleeding caused by a traumatic injury, U.S. News and World Report wrote. Most of the deaths occur within six hours.

In an article by the Boston University School of Medicine, it pointed to a new study that suggested a person who receives whole blood transfusion for severe traumatic bleeding earlier has a greater chance of survival.

“However, if this transfusion is delayed by as little as 14 minutes after arriving at the hospital, the survival benefit is significantly reduced,” the university wrote.

Crisanto Torres, assistant professor of surgery at the school, said in the article that there was a “decrease in survival probability for each minute delay in whole blood transfusion.”

She said she hopes this encourages more hospitals to use whole blood as a standard emergency transfusion product and more consideration for it to be used at the scene of an injury or during transport to the hospital.