You are here

Article Text

Article menu
Download PDFPDF
Original article
The feasibility of civilian prehospital trauma teams carrying and administering packed red blood cells
  1. Daniel Bodnar1,2,3,
  2. Stephen Rashford1,2,
  3. Sue Williams4,
  4. Emma Enraght-Moony1,
  5. Lachlan Parker1,
  6. Benjamin Clarke1,2
  1. 1Office of the Medical Director, Queensland Ambulance Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  2. 2Department of Emergency Medicine, Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia
  3. 3Department of Emergency Medicine, Redcliffe Hospital, Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia
  4. 4Pathology Queensland Central Transfusion Laboratory, Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Dr Daniel Bodnar, Department of Emergency Medicine, Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland 4006, Australia; daniel.bodnar{at}dcs.qld.gov.au

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the feasibility, limitations and costs involved in providing prehospital trauma teams with packed red blood cells (pRBCs) for use in the prehospital setting.

Methods A retrospective cohort study, examining 18 months of historical data collated by the Queensland Ambulance Service Trauma Response Team (TRT) and the Pathology Queensland Central Transfusion Laboratory was undertaken.

Results Over an 18-month period (1 January 2011–30 June 2012), of 500 pRBC units provided to the TRT, 130 (26%) were administered to patients in the prehospital environment. Of the non-transfused units, 97.8% were returned to a hospital blood bank and were available for reissue. No instances of equipment failure directly contributed to wastage of pRBCs. The cost of providing pRBCs for prehospital use was $A551 (£361) for each unit transfused.

Conclusions It is feasible and practical to provide prehospital trauma teams with pRBCs for use in the field. Use of pRBCs in the prehospital setting is associated with similar rates of pRBC wastage to that reported in emergency departments.

  • Trauma
  • prehospital care
  • emergency care systems

https://doi.org/10.1136/emermed-2012-201969

Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

    View Full Text