CAP advocates for blood supply in ambulances to save lives
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) recommends equipping ambulances with blood products to enhance emergency response and save up to 10,000 lives annually through prehospital transfusions.
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) is calling for ambulances to be supplied with blood, according to a recently published position statementand a press release. The goal of this action is to save more lives and improve awareness of the advantages of prehospital blood transfusions.
Prehospital blood transfusions could prevent 10,000 lives every year, CAP says. They noted that despite this, “only about 2% of ground EMS programs currently carry blood products.”
In addition to calling for ambulances to be supplied with blood products, they are also recommending that states give paramedics the authority to start blood transfusions. They hope to inspire continued research and improved donor recruitment strategies, supply chain resilience, and the reduction of blood wastage.
