ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A lifesaver was asked about those times he could not.
Mehmet Barzev spoke of those tense, desperate moments when his expertise and empathy simply was not enough.
There is an accident or incident. The victim, quickly losing blood from injuries, is fading as first responders do all they can.
But all they can sometimes is not enough.
“But now, because of this program, we are better able to save a life. That is amazing.”Mehmet Barzev, chief of operations, Allentown EMS services
Such regret was evident in Barzev’s eyes.
“It’s a sad moment when you run out of tools in your tool box,” said Barzev, chief of operations for Allentown’s Emergency Medical Services.
“You get exhausted because you want to do all you can to save someone. But sometimes, you just can’t.
“But now, because of this program, we are better able to save a life. That is amazing.”
The program is a cooperative between Allentown and Miller-Keystone Blood Center called the EMS pre-hospital blood program.
The program was announced during a news conference at the blood center Monday afternoon.
'Critically ill survival rate'
A pre-hospital blood program equips EMS to give blood — whole blood or components such as red cells and plasma — to severely bleeding patients at the scene or in the ambulance.
The program saves critical time before hospital arrival by stabilizing shock, improving survival and reducing complications from massive blood loss, especially in trauma cases and mitigates subsequent multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.
“We get 19,500 calls a year. Our data shows that 50 of those calls would be candidates for blood to help save them.”Mehmet Barzev, chief of operations for Allentown’s Emergency Medical Services
One unit of blood will be with an EMS vehicle in a cooling container to preserve it up to 21 days.
In the United States, uncontrolled bleeding, or hemorrhaging, is the leading cause of preventable death in trauma victims, with an estimated 31,000 Americans bleeding to death from survivable injuries each year, officials said.
A significant number of such deaths occur before the victims reach a hospital, they said.
“Early administering of blood significantly impacts the critically ill survival rate,” Barzev said.
“We get 19,500 calls a year. Our data shows that 50 of those calls would be candidates for blood to help save them.”
'We show up'
Such programs use universal-type O-negative or low-titer O-positive blood for immediate use and involve special training, logistics for blood storage in vehicles and integration with hospital systems.
"Low titer" blood refers to type-O whole blood from donors who have low levels of anti-A and anti-B antibodies.
Low-titer blood is used in critical situations where there isn't enough time to test a patient's blood type before a transfusion is needed.
“I think is an excellent example of how our city evaluates a need based on experience — we use the data… to get creative about the need for a solution.”Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk
The low concentration of antibodies makes it less likely to cause a harmful immune reaction when given to someone with a different blood type.
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, who said he is a regular blood donor, celebrated the partnership between city officials and MKBC to save lives.
“I think is an excellent example of how our city evaluates a need based on experience — we use the data… to get creative about the need for a solution,” Tuerk said.
“In this case, we just didn’t have enough blood to meet the need in ambulances. Our team developed innovative solutions. They looked for a partner to show up and Miller-Keystone was by far the best partner.
“That’s what Allentown is all about — we show up.”
'First-hand look at how it can save lives'
Miller-Keystone Chief Executive Officer Rami Nemeh expressed gratitude to the City of Allentown for its leadership and partnership.
“This initiative truly reflects Miller-Keystone Blood Center’s mission to partner with our community to ensure a continuous supply of blood products,” Nemeh said.
“By enabling pre-hospital transfusions, the City of Allentown and MKBC are enhancing the level of care available to patients in our region.”Miller-Keystone Chief Executive Officer Rami Nemeh
“By enabling pre-hospital transfusions, the City of Allentown and MKBC are enhancing the level of care available to patients in our region.”
The prehospital blood program was founded as a pilot program Texas in 2018.
To prepare for implementation of the pre-hospital blood program, members of the Allentown EMS accompanied Delaware EMS on a ride-along to better understand the process.
"Our staff saw the benefits of the program," Barzev said. "It gave us a first-hand look at how it can save lives."
By placing yet another tool in the toolbox.
For details on the pre-hospital blood program, email Miller-Keystone Director of Hospital Services Hope Dorn at hdorn@giveapint.org.
