Canton EMS gives blood transfusion in ambulance to save man in Braintree - Boston News, Weather, Sports

BRAINTREE, MASS. (WHDH) - The Canton Fire Department administered the state's first field whole blood transfusion Saturday to save a man from bleeding out after a car crash in Braintree.

The 35-year-old man suffered extensive injuries in the crash and was suffering from low blood pressure, shock, and internal bleeding, Canton fire officials said. Crews were able to extricate the man from his car after about 45 minutes.

Braintree fire officials and paramedics from Brewster Ambulance called Canton Fire's transfusion team to the scene, where they got into the ambulance and assessed the patient.

The man was given a blood transfusion and his vital signs improved on the way to Boston Medical Center, the department said. There, he was taken into surgery.

The Canton Fire Department launched the field blood transfusion program in March and it encompasses 25 communities surrounding Canton.

Canton EMS said the new program could increase patients' chances of survival by as much as 40 percent.

"It's significant, significant increase, especially for us in the field, even with patients that are in traumatic arrest or cardiac arrest due to trauma, this also gives these patients a chance of survival," said Leo Reardon of the Canton Fire Department.

"So, it's truly a landmark thing in EMS, and it really does offer us an opportunity to truly make a huge difference in the treatment and care of our trauma patients," Reardon continued.

Saturday's crash was the 14th incident the Canton transfusion team was called to so far, but the majority of those patients did not meet the criteria for a transfusion.