Trauma patients have new life-saving resource at Meritus

Hospital is first in region to stock whole blood

Meritus Medical Center is now stocking a life-saving resource developed on the battlefield that will give trauma patients a better chance at survival.

Through work by the Meritus trauma department and blood bank, the hospital will be able to offer whole blood to those patients most at risk of death after a traumatic incident.

“This is a big deal,” said Kyle Remick, M.D., FACS, Meritus trauma medical director who also is a retired U.S. Army Colonel. “For patients with the most severe injuries, whole blood has been shown to be life-saving.”

Meritus is positioned at the intersection of two major U.S. interstates, meaning the level 3 trauma center frequently sees trauma patients from automobile crashes, in addition to typical injuries seen by hospitals in rural areas.

Victoria K. Gonsorcik, D.O., associate pathologist and director of transfusion/blood bank services, said Meritus staff is primed to go.

“We have worked with the critical care and the trauma team along with other departments at Meritus to help roll this out,” she said. “We are ready.”

The plan is to work with EMS units in the region so first responders can begin whole blood transfusions when they first encounter patients.

How does whole blood benefit trauma patients?

Normally, donated blood is separated into components — red blood cells, plasma, platelets, etc. — for standard medical use. By using whole blood, studies have found it improves a patient’s chances of survival in the trauma setting.

“When inventory allows, whole blood will offer a quick and efficient method to replace significant blood loss and a more rapid correction of bleeding disorders for our massive transfusions and trauma 1 patients,” Dr. Gonsorcik said. 

Dr. Remick noted that it was military doctors who have pioneered the treatment, learning lessons from treating troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We used whole blood up until Vietnam,” said Dr. Remick, who was a battlefield surgeon when he was active duty. “We learned that when trauma patients are bleeding significantly from their injury, replacing blood lost with whole blood gives those patients the best chance of survival.”

Several hospitals in the Washington, D.C., region offer the treatment, but Dr. Remick says Meritus would be the first in Western Maryland.

“This will be a benefit to the local population as well as those travelling through the region from other parts of the country,” he said. “Injury is the leading cause of death in those 1 to 44 years of age in the U.S., according to the CDC, so it is important for Meritus to be a leader in optimal care for injuries that occur in the community and the region.”

Carrie Adams, Pharm.D., Meritus chief operating officer who oversees the hospital, praised the move.

“Offering whole blood is another example of Meritus living up to its mission of improving the health of the community,” she said. “As our community continues to grow, we are striving to meet their health needs, and injury care is a significant part of that need.”

To learn more about Meritus Medical Center’s emergency care, visit www.meritushealth.com/Emergency.