CFD administers state’s 1st pre-hospital transfusion

By Canton Citizen

The Canton Fire Department recently celebrated a landmark event with the successful administration of the first-ever whole blood transfusion given to a Massachusetts trauma patient in a pre-hospital setting as part of the CFD’s new Field Transfusion Paramedic Program.

CFD Field Transfusion Paramedic Michael White is interviewed by WCVB-TV. (CFD photo)

In the early morning hours on Saturday, June 29, Canton first responders were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident scene in Braintree, where they successfully helped save the life of a 35-year-old male victim.

It took about 45 minutes for Braintree firefighters to extricate the victim, who had sustained extensive injuries in the crash and was suffering from low blood pressure, shock, and internal bleeding.

After Braintree Fire Deputy Chief Tim Starkey made the decision to call the transfusion team, CFD Field Transfusion Paramedic Michael White and EMT Jonathan Buckley boarded the Brewster Ambulance to assess the patient and begin the transfusion. The patient’s vital signs improved during transport to Boston Medical Center, where he continued to receive blood in the ER and OR before going in for surgery.

Officially launched in March as part of a collaboration with Boston Medical Center’s Trauma & Acute Care Surgery Division and Blood Bank, the Canton Field Transfusion Paramedic Program is the first in the state to offer whole blood transfusions at the scene of an emergency or during transport to the hospital. Set up as a regional pilot through a special project waiver from the state Department of Public Health and supported by a federal grant, the program remains on standby in Canton and can be requested by any of the 25 participating municipalities.

“This groundbreaking program represents a significant advancement in prehospital care and has already proven its worth in its first use,” said Canton 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.”

One week after responding to the Braintree call, the CFD Field Transfusion truck was called to another accident scene in Bridgewater on I-495, where they administered their second transfusion in the field — delivering blood to a trauma patient while en route to the hospital.

According to a recent Facebook post on the Canton Firefighters Local 1580 page, there have been several other occasions since March where the truck was called out but the patient did not meet the criteria to receive a transfusion. Even in those situations, Canton paramedics will still travel with the ambulance crew in case the patient becomes unstable during transport. They cannot, however, “give blood for the sake of giving blood” and always make their determination based on established protocols.

Having now performed two successful field transfusions, the CFD expects the Field Transfusion truck to be in higher demand as more local departments familiarize themselves with this new lifesaving program.

“We hope this is the first of many calls that shows the importance of this new and crucial role in improving the survival rate of trauma patients,” stated Local 1580.

For more information about the Canton Fire Department’s Field Transfusion Program, please visit town.canton.ma.us/142/Fire-Department.

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