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Cobb County firefighters use newly launched on‑scene blood program and TXA to stabilize ejected crash patient
Summary
Cobb County Fire Department crews said they used on‑scene blood products and 2 grams of tranexamic acid (TXA) after a vehicle ejection; the patient’s blood pressure rose and she was taken to surgery.
On Feb. 14, Cobb County Fire Department crews administering a newly launched on‑scene blood program gave packed red blood cells and tranexamic acid to a patient who had been ejected from a vehicle, raising her blood pressure and enabling transport to surgery, fire personnel said.
The program — which department staff said carries two units of packed red blood cells and two units of fresh frozen plasma on rescue apparatus — was used four days later at the scene of a motor vehicle crash where a person had been thrown from their vehicle. The crew members described establishing IV access, giving TXA and transfusing blood before the patient reached the hospital.
Staff member (Speaker 2), a Cobb County firefighter/EMT, said crews arriving on scene found “a motor vehicle crash with an ejection. Fire crews are already, establishing IVs and getting her packaged up and ready to go.” Staff member (Speaker 1), a firefighter/paramedic with the Cobb County Fire Department, said an ambulance was already at the scene and that he retrieved the cooler and supplies to administer blood.
“So we administered 2 grams of TXA,” Staff member (Speaker 1) said. Staff member (Speaker 3), a Cobb County paramedic, added, “I, gave TXA. It's a clotting agent to prevent her from bleeding internally if there were any injuries.”
According to the crew accounts, Staff member (Speaker 1) then administered the first unit of packed red blood cells and flushed the line. Staff member (Speaker 3) said, “Once David gave the blood products, her blood pressure came up. She became responsive to voice.” Staff member (Speaker 1) said the patient woke up and “was actually able to start talking to us.”
Staff member (Speaker 1) characterized the intervention as life‑saving in his view: “I truly believe that this would have happened a week earlier, that she would not have made it to the hospital. I believe she would have probably expired during transport. And with the blood products being given, we were able to get her to the hospital and get her to surgery.”
The transcript did not provide the patient’s name, the crash location, the patient’s current condition after surgery, or additional operational details such as which apparatus carried the products or the program’s training protocol. Department staff said the program carries two units of packed red blood cells and two units of fresh frozen plasma; other funding, oversight, and supply‑chain details were not specified.
