Through partnership with UCHealth, CSFD paramedics will carry lifesaving whole blood on rigs

Colorado Springs, Colo. (April 19, 2024) – Through a partnership with UCHealth, Colorado Springs Fire Department paramedics will begin carrying whole blood and provide potentially life-saving blood transfusions to bleeding patients before they get to the hospital. CSFD will be the first fire department in the state to launch a whole blood program in a metropolitan area. 

Supervisory Medical Lieutenant Paramedics with the department are being trained to administer whole blood transfusions to patients who are hemorrhaging – a major shift in how emergency care is delivered in the field. First responders have traditionally used IV fluids to treat patients until they can get them to a hospital, and whole blood will give these patients a much better chance at survival. 

"Hemorrhagic shock - bleeding to death - is the leading cause of death for people age of 45 and under, and we know that upward of 40% of these patients could survive with immediate blood transfusion in the field," said Dr. Matt Angelidis, co-chief medical director of the Colorado Springs Fire Department and an emergency medicine physician at UCHealth. “First responders bringing blood to the scene of an injury will save lives. I have sat in too many after-action reviews where firefighters and first responders tearfully ask what they could have done differently, knowing if they could have transfused blood the outcome might have been different. I’m proud that UCHealth is empowering first responders with the equipment to now do this.” 

Offering whole blood in the field requires high-tech equipment to properly store, transport, reheat and transfuse blood. The specialized coolers and warming equipment was purchased with generous gifts to the UCHealth Memorial Hospital Foundation from philanthropic members of the Colorado Springs community, and the program would not be possible without those dollars. The philanthropic gifts of more than $275,000 will support the first three years of the program to include equipment, blood and training. 

“The members of the CSFD are so thankful for the collaborative efforts of UCHealth and the wonderful and supportive nature of the many donors within our community who were so generous,” said Colorado Springs Fire Chief Randy Royal. “These efforts, along with the hard work and dedication of our physicians and staff, have brought this vision to reality. This program is on the cutting edge of trauma and EMS care and will most definitely save lives when time is critical for patients suffering from massive bleeding.” 

The practice of using whole blood for massive blood loss first occurred in military battlefields, dating to World War I, and prehospital administration of whole blood is now safely being used in many EMS systems throughout the country. Whole blood – blood with none of its components separated or removed – is safe for patients of all blood types suffering traumatic injury or internal bleeding, said Angelidis. 

CSFD will begin carrying equipment on two of its Medical Lieutenant supervisory rigs, with the program rollout expected in May. 

“EMS-delivered whole blood transfusions are a complicated and highly regulated treatment, and this program in Colorado Springs would not be possible without the work of Dr. Matt Angelidis,” said Lonnie Cramer, president and CEO of UCHealth’s southern region. “His service to UCHealth as an emergency medicine physician, to CSFD as one of their medical directors and to our community cannot be overstated, and I would like to extend my personal gratitude to him. 

“I also would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the donors who made gifts to the Memorial Hospital Foundation to make this lifesaving program a reality,” Cramer added. “I am deeply proud to be part of an organization that always strives to bring innovative, advanced care to our community. UCHealth’s mission is to improve lives, and the launch of this whole blood program is just another example of that unwavering commitment.”