Some of the most important trauma care in Des Moines is now starting before patients reach the hospital.
A pilot program launched last November equips certain ambulances with blood and the tools needed to administer transfusions on scene. Doctors and first responders say the program is already saving lives.
“By treating patients early, we can automatically decrease the risk,” said Dr. Carlos Pelaez, trauma medical director at Iowa Methodist Medical Center.
Pelaez said early intervention can increase survival rates by roughly 30 percent.
Coby Klocko, a paramedic in Des Moines, used the mobile blood transfusion system on Feb. 19 after a 911 call reported a stabbing at Polk County’s Life Services Center.
“There was a stabbing victim that was in trouble and was bleeding out,” Klocko said.
Klocko had only practiced administering blood transfusions on training mannequins, but said he knew the situation called for immediate action.
“I just took a few deep breaths, realized I’ve done this plenty of times, and it’s just another routine thing, just on a live patient,” he said.
He began treatment before the victim arrived at the hospital. Klocko said having the kit and training to use it made the difference for his patient.
“If I didn’t have the blood, I don’t think it would be the outcome that we had today,” he said.
Pelaez said the change is unlike anything he has seen locally in trauma care.
“I have been in practice for approximately 15 years,” Pelaez said. “This is the single most relevant change in trauma care in our city that I have seen since I started practicing trauma surgery.”
Klocko later met the patient whose life he helped save.
“Coming to work every day, you just never know what you’re going to get yourself into,” he said. “But having the tools that we have in our ambulances, knowing that I can make a difference in somebody else’s life, and also make an impact on their family, is definitely a huge reward, not just for myself, but for our entire department.”
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