OU WHOLE BLOOD PROGRAM: 'FIRST OF ITS KIND'

To further the effort of endless evolution at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Department of Surgery, Trauma and Critical Care Surgeon Dr. Amanda Celii has led the implementation of the Whole Blood Program into the General Surgery, Trauma, and Critical Care Division

Dr. Celii explained the OU Whole Blood Program is the first of its kind in Oklahoma and one of a few in the entire nation.

“When Trauma patients are bleeding, we have to give them components of blood, so packed red blood cells (PRBC), fresh frozen plasma (FFP), platelets, and Cryoprecipitate (Cryo) to help give them blood back and stop additional bleeding from coagulopathy,” she said “We have to keep the ratios very balanced, however with whole blood, we can give our patients more blood before it’s been broken down into its components, so it has everything in one unit.”

Originally whole blood usage was p military during the 1970s and 1980 said.

However, the practice fell out of fav component therapy, or the act of b whole blood into its components, in

According to Blood Bank Medical D Hope Hastings, whole blood was cr limited use because of incompatibl it has returned as a practical treatm

“The unique factor for low titer O w that donors are specifically tested f anti-B titers, so only those donors w considered ‘low titer’ are eligible to specialized blood product,” Dr Has “Due to the low antibody levels, it is utilized across different ABO types

Getting this product to patients in the early stages of treatment has improved the survival rate and decreased the need for additional blood transfusions Dr Celii added

The program started over a year ago and Dr Celii said in that time she, Dr Hastings and others involved in the program’s development have honed their criteria for whole blood usage and further built the program.

“This past November we partnered with the Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) to start a rotational system so they can carry whole blood pre-hospital to administer to trauma patients even before they get to the hospital,” Dr. Celii states.

The surgeon and her team meet monthly to discuss the program’s whole blood usage, wastage, and all cases to ensure safety protocols are followed In the last year, the program has had only four units of whole blood wastage, Dr. Celii added

At a conference in San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Celii learned about whole blood programs and their implementation She worked alongside OU Health’s Blood Bank and with Dr Hastings “We wouldn’t have been successful without Dr Hastings’ support and help to build this program and this team over the last year and a half,” Dr. Celii added.

Dr. Hastings stated the Blood Bank worked closely with the trauma team to determine how to use low titer O+ whole blood and change their process for our high-risk trauma patients

“Because this was a completely new product to OU Health, we had to build it from the ground up in the blood bank, which includes building and validating it in the laboratory information system, writing policies, purchasing and validating coolers, training the blood bank staff, and working with the Oklahoma Blood Institute to determine how and when we would receive the product,” Dr Hastings explained Dr Celii feels this program solidifies the department as an innovative leader in trauma

“I hope to continue its expansion to more prehospital providers and agencies so that we can have whole blood reach our rural areas to help improve the survival of our rural trauma patients,” Dr Celii said

The Blood Bank and the trauma team will continue to collaborate with each other and additional entities to improve patient care

“Without the teamwork, the program would not have been successful,” Dr. Hastings said. “The trauma team goes above and beyond to minimize wastage and excel at blood stewardship Our blood bank staff works tirelessly to assist in the care of some of Oklahoma’s most critically ill patients ”

The medical professional feels the Whole Blood Program has completely changed the way in which adult trauma patients receive blood at OU Health.

“Low titer whole blood has been a huge success for Oklahoma Seconds saved truly save a life,” she said