Colorado Springs Gazette | Whole blood transfusion offers life-saving treatment
Four months after suffering a near-fatal motorcycle accident on CO 67 N., 72-year-old Guy Theriot attributes his recovery to receiving whole blood in the ambulance. Speaking during a press conference on Nov. 24, Theriot recalled that day in August when he and a friend headed for Sedalia, intending to stop for a hamburger…Crash landing in the gravel, Theriot broke ribs, injured a kidney and ruptured his spleen. Looking back, he recalls being aware of his friend holding his head. “I remember kind of peacefully fading away, but then becoming more lucid and aware,” he said. “It seemed peaceful with a lot of light.” Theriot’s feelings were due to the transfusion of whole blood. The paramedics weighed their options: take the patient by helicopter or ambulance to UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central in Colorado Springs. Before the introduction of whole blood in June, the three would likely have chosen the helicopter. The program is the result of the partnership between UCHealth and the health service district.