DOVER, DE — Today, Kent County became the final county in Delaware to equip supervisor paramedic vehicles with whole blood units, a critical addition aimed at saving trauma patients during what emergency responders call the “golden hour.”
This initiative, facilitated through a partnership between the Blood Bank of Delmarva and Kent County Paramedics, is aimed at providing timely treatment to trauma patients, a measure that can be vital in life-threatening emergencies.
The program initially launched as a pilot in New Castle and Sussex counties in 2023, demonstrated substantial impact in improving trauma care outcomes. Providing whole blood in the field allows paramedics to administer immediate transfusions, helping stabilize patients and prevent critical blood loss.
Robert Rosenbaum, Medical Director for EMS for the State of Delaware, explained the concept of the "golden hour" and why rapid response is crucial to saving lives.
“Golden hour for trauma patients is where, from the time of injury, there’s about 60 minutes that we know if we don’t start treating patients, their risk of dying goes up dramatically.”
With over $20,000 in funding now secured, Kent County can provide trauma-level care on-site with whole blood transfusions.
Rosenbaum emphasized just how impactful this capability is, saying that these onsite blood transfusions are crucial to survival and have already shown success in increasing the survival rate of trauma injuries.
“Blood is probably the only thing to be shown to not just slow or stop the clock but even reverse the clock of the golden hour. We can treat patients with whole blood in less than 35 minutes from the time 911 is activated to the time blood is being given.”
This development marks a significant milestone for Delaware, making it the first state in the nation to ensure that all county-level paramedic agencies can both carry and administer whole blood to trauma patients in the field.
One of them, paramedic Trey Thompson, described his excitement about contributing directly to the initiative.
“It’s kind of cool to be a part of this myself. They will be able to respond to a 911 call if it’s a trauma-related incident, and my blood will hopefully be donated to an individual who needs it.”
Currently, one supervisor unit in Kent County will carry whole blood, and officials plan to expand the program to include state police aviation units in the near future.
