UPMC Passavant expands emergency care with blood administration in the field
UPMC Passavant has introduced a new life-saving capability to its Advanced Response Unit, becoming one of the first organizations in the region to carry and administer blood during emergencies.
The unit, which is based at UPMC Passavant – Cranberry and has been in service since 2021, is staffed with paramedics and prehospital nurses trained to deliver advanced care across Butler, Beaver and Allegheny counties. The specialized unit will operate around the clock, often supporting local EMS teams on high-risk calls.
“The ARU now carries a precious life-saving item: blood,” said Alan Martino, manager of prehospital services and emergency preparedness at UPMC Passavant in a Tuesday news release. “In addition to the other advanced life support equipment and expert staff, we now carry two units of blood that can be administered before arriving at a hospital, helping save even more lives.”
The unit currently carries two units of Type O blood, which can be used in trauma or medical emergencies involving severe blood loss. Hospital officials say the program is especially critical for patients in rural communities, where transport times to trauma centers are longer.
“This will increase survivability of people suffering significant trauma and medical emergencies,” Martino said.
Dr. Alan Shapiro, EMS medical director at UPMC Passavant, called the addition of blood administration a milestone for emergency medicine.
“Delivering blood to patients prior to arrival at the hospital improves outcomes and increases survival rates from trauma and hemorrhage,” Shapiro said.
A policy change by the Pennsylvania Department of Health late last year paved the way for this development. Updated statewide protocols now permit specially trained paramedics to administer blood in the field, a procedure once limited to EMS physicians and medical helicopters. Before the change, paramedics could only give intravenous fluids such as saline, which do not replace lost blood.
Martino added that UPMC Passavant moved quickly once the new scope of practice was approved.
“This is an exciting time for EMS, as we are progressing as a profession,” Martino said. “When the Pennsylvania Department of Health, EMS division, added blood administration to our scope of practice, we jumped at the chance to provide this life saving commodity to our toolbox.”
