Experts to Discuss the Importance of Blood for Trauma Patients Before Arriving at the Hospital

SAN FRANCISCO (October 14, 2024) — Leading experts in trauma and critical care surgery will convene at a news conference on Monday, October 21, to discuss the lifesaving potential of making prehospital whole blood — blood administered before arriving at a hospital — widely available on ambulances across the United States.  

Uncontrolled bleeding from trauma is a leading cause of preventable death for people of all ages, and quick access to blood remains a critical factor in saving lives. The topic of “whole blood,” which refers to blood that has not been separated into its component parts, such as plasma or platelets, has made national headlines over the past year for its potential role in saving lives before a bleeding patient arrives at the hospital. However, there are some barriers that make achieving this goal challenging, including the fact that very few EMS agencies carry any blood component, let alone whole blood, in their ambulances.  

These experts will discuss the benefits and barriers at the national and local levels, progress made to date, solutions to the problem of access, and success stories that demonstrate the value of prehospital whole blood. They will also provide rural, EMS, and military perspectives.  

Remarks will be delivered during a news conference at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2024 in San Francisco, California. The event will be livestreamed on the ACS Media Center. 

This event presents an opportunity for journalists to connect with leaders in the field.  

• WHAT: A live news conference featuring a panel of experts at the forefront of the push to make blood available to patients before they arrive at the hospital.  

• WHEN: Monday, October 21, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. PT 

• WHERE:  

• Virtual: The event will be livestreamed on the ACS Media Center: https://www.facs.org/media-center/  

• In-person: Room 212, Moscone Center, San Francisco, California. To attend in person, journalists must bring appropriate identification and register for media credentials online or in the ACS Press Room (Room 212). 

This news conference will include remarks from each expert, followed by a Q&A for reporters. Questions can be submitted virtually or asked in person.   

• To attend the news briefing in person, email [email protected].  

• To view the press briefing virtually, visit the ACS Media Center. It is recommended to tune in five to ten minutes in advance of the event.  

• Reporters are invited to submit questions in advance to [email protected].  

Expert Panelists   

• Jeffrey Kerby, MD, PhD, FACS, Chair, ACS Committee on Trauma, and Brigham Family Endowed Professor and Director, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Heersink School of Medicine (moderator) 

• John B. Holcomb, MD, FACS, professor, Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery, UAB Heersink School of Medicine 

• Peter E. Fischer, MD, FACS, associate professor of surgery, University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis 

• Michael Person, MD, FACS, associate professor of surgery, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine 

• Jennifer Gurney, MD, FACS, COL U.S. Army, chief, Department of Defense Joint Trauma System