Paramedics at the Jersey Shore now have a new tool that could improve the chances of survival for people who lose a lot of blood in an emergency. Starting on Thursday March 5, Atlanticare’s mobile ICUs can provide blood transfusions to patients in the field before they get to the hospital. So now 120 paramedics are carrying the precious cargo in a refrigerated case. “When you’re bleeding to death, whether it’s medically or from a traumatic injury, you don’t have a lot of time,” Atlanticare EMS Medical Director Dr. Brett Greenfield explained. “There are a total of four agencies on the ground with more coming on board that will be able to do this.” Last year, Atlanticare’s paramedics responded to nearly 27,000 calls throughout a large portion of the Jersey Shore region that is visited by millions every summer. “This has the potential to save lives in ways that no therapy or no treatment has in my knowledge,” Atlanticare Assistant Chief of EMS Mark Jeffries said. This is still a relatively new concept in New Jersey. The first medical helicopter authorized to give blood in the air didn’t launch until 2018. In April, the New Jersey Department of Health authorized Hackensack University Medical Center as the state’s first advanced life support provider to administer blood transfusions in the field. “I know hundreds of cases of car accidents, of falls, industrial accidents where blood would have changed the outcomes,” Atlanticare EMS Chief Steve Napoli said. “It’s a game changer for the entire state and all the ground paramedics.” ...read more read less