Personnel with Virginia Beach EMS said currently 92.7% of those who received emergency blood have survived past hospital’s discharge.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — In times of an emergency, every second counts.
No one knows this better than first responders, and for personnel working at Virginia Beach’s Emergency Medical Services, a new program is helping them to do their jobs.
“I’ve been tracking it this entire time, and it’s certainly been successful,” said Will Shackelford, a Captain with Virginia Beach EMS.
Back in 2022, the Tidewater EMS Council decided to allow Virginia Beach paramedics to administer ‘whole blood’ to people while on the way to a hospital.
This way, those suffering from traumatic or medical injuries have a greater likelihood of surviving until hospital staff can reach them.
Nearly two years later, Virginia Beach EMS leaders said they are seeing the results of their efforts.
“About 50% of those patients who …