Featuring Battalion Chief Kevin Leverence & Fire Captain Michael Bell
Sugar Land Fire-EMS has created proactive steps to some critical, life-saving measures a little closer to home.
Excessive bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, according to the American College of Surgeons. So much so that trauma centers across the country have stepped up their resuscitation and care protocols while aiming to provide patients with blood transfusions within 10 to 15 minutes of arrival at a hospital.
Sugar Land Fire-EMS now offers the ability to provide blood transfusions to patients on-site, ensuring that they are provided the necessary care in a time period that could save their life.
“One of our missions is to take hospital-level medicine and bring it to the emergency where it’s happening, so instead of waiting to get to the hospital, we brought those 10 minutes to our patients here in the city where they need it,” Assistant Fire-EMS Chief Kevin Leverence said.
This new offering complements the state-of-the-art medical services already provided by Fire-EMS, including point-of-care ultrasound, which brings diagnostic capabilities directly to the patient, allowing EMS to perform cardiac and lung exams on-site. They have also introduced antibiotics in the field, reducing the risk of infection and potentially shortening hospital stays.
This rapid response is critical because, after the first 15 minutes, the mortality rate for severe injuries increases by 5% every minute. For injuries already carrying a mortality rate of up to 50%, every second counts.
This initiative, driven by EMS Battalion Chief Leverence and supported by extensive interdepartmental collaboration, represents a significant leap forward in public health and safety right here in our community.
“We have three state designated trauma centers here in our city, and they do not use whole blood for their mass transfusion protocol,” Leverence said. “They use blood products and deliver appropriate medicine, but we are ahead of what is current medicine by introducing whole blood to our patients pre-hospital care.”
Whole blood is blood that hasn’t had any parts removed. It includes red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. When someone gets a whole blood transfusion, they’re receiving all these components together, just like when blood is donated.
This program proves Sugar Land’s commitment to reduce preventable deaths but also trailblazing a new standard in emergency response within the City by bringing premiere medical and safety services to our residents.
Our Fire and EMS department collaborates closely with nearby medical agencies, including the Fort Bend County EMS department, to continuously enhance medical services in Sugar Land. These partnerships provide constant feedback and resources, which further support our industry. While there is existing research on whole blood resuscitation trials in academic and hospital settings, there is minimal research on providing this service in pre-hospital care. This gap in research served as a motivator for our Fire-EMS department to launch this program. After 24 days of extensive research and development, they were able to roll out this program 8 days ahead of the scheduled deadline.
“There was never a concern about moving too quickly; my concern was whether we could move quickly enough,” said Leverence. Even in the weeks before the launch, there were already cases that would have greatly benefited from having whole blood available in the city.
Fire Captain Michael Bell was able to deliver one of the first units of whole blood to a patient on site of a medical emergency.
“He was extremely close to death, and we were able to pull him back. Three days later, he was released from the hospital,”
said Bell.
While whole blood resuscitation itself isn’t new, our groundbreaking approach is revolutionizing the field by bringing hospital-level care directly to the scene of emergencies. Our Fire-EMS department is trailblazing the medical industry, setting new standards in pre-hospital care with an innovative method that highlights our dedication to providing care that is both cutting-edge and dependable.
Sugar Land Fire-EMS has created proactive steps to some critical, life-saving measures a little closer to home.
Excessive bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, according to the American College of Surgeons. So much so that trauma centers across the country have stepped up their resuscitation and care protocols while aiming to provide patients with blood transfusions within 10 to 15 minutes of arrival at a hospital.
Sugar Land Fire-EMS now offers the ability to provide blood transfusions to patients on-site, ensuring that they are provided the necessary care in a time period that could save their life.
This new offering complements the state-of-the-art medical services already provided by Fire-EMS, including point-of-care ultrasound, which brings diagnostic capabilities directly to the patient, allowing EMS to perform cardiac and lung exams on-site. They have also introduced antibiotics in the field, reducing the risk of infection and potentially shortening hospital stays.
This rapid response is critical because, after the first 15 minutes, the mortality rate for severe injuries increases by 5% every minute. For injuries already carrying a mortality rate of up to 50%, every second counts.
This initiative, driven by EMS Battalion Chief Leverence and supported by extensive interdepartmental collaboration, represents a significant leap forward in public health and safety right here in our community.
“We have three state designated trauma centers here in our city, and they do not use whole blood for their mass transfusion protocol,” Leverence said. “They use blood products and deliver appropriate medicine, but we are ahead of what is current medicine by introducing whole blood to our patients pre-hospital care.”
Whole blood is blood that hasn’t had any parts removed. It includes red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. When someone gets a whole blood transfusion, they’re receiving all these components together, just like when blood is donated.
This program proves Sugar Land’s commitment to reduce preventable deaths but also trailblazing a new standard in emergency response within the City by bringing premiere medical and safety services to our residents.
Our Fire and EMS department collaborates closely with nearby medical agencies, including the Fort Bend County EMS department, to continuously enhance medical services in Sugar Land. These partnerships provide constant feedback and resources, which further support our industry. While there is existing research on whole blood resuscitation trials in academic and hospital settings, there is minimal research on providing this service in pre-hospital care. This gap in research served as a motivator for our Fire-EMS department to launch this program. After 24 days of extensive research and development, they were able to roll out this program 8 days ahead of the scheduled deadline.
“There was never a concern about moving too quickly; my concern was whether we could move quickly enough,” said Leverence. Even in the weeks before the launch, there were already cases that would have greatly benefited from having whole blood available in the city.
Fire Captain Michael Bell was able to deliver one of the first units of whole blood to a patient on site of a medical emergency.
While whole blood resuscitation itself isn’t new, our groundbreaking approach is revolutionizing the field by bringing hospital-level care directly to the scene of emergencies. Our Fire-EMS department is trailblazing the medical industry, setting new standards in pre-hospital care with an innovative method that highlights our dedication to providing care that is both cutting-edge and dependable.
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