University Hospital Becomes First Organization to Achieve AABB Accreditation for Emergency Prehospital Transfusions

AABB is pleased to announce that University Hospital in Newark, N.J. is the first organization to become AABB-accredited for Emergency Prehospital and Scheduled Out-of-Hospital Transfusions.

AABB’s new Emergency Prehospital and Scheduled Out-of-Hospital Transfusions Accreditation Program helps to ensure that patients who undergo blood transfusions outside of hospitals receive the same high-quality level of care that they would receive at a hospital. Organizations who achieve this accreditation have demonstrated their commitment to safety and quality by adhering to AABB’s Standards for Emergency Prehospital and Scheduled Out-of-Hospital Transfusions, which were developed by experts and establish requirements for blood storage, transport and administration in out-of-hospital settings, as well as documentation, traceability, personnel qualifications and quality system oversight.

“Congratulations to University Hospital in Newark, N.J., for becoming the first organization to achieve AABB accreditation for Emergency Prehospital and Scheduled Out-of-Hospital Transfusions,” said Debra BenAvram, chief executive officer of AABB. “AABB applauds the staff at University Hospital for their commitment to providing safe blood transfusions for trauma patients as soon as possible. AABB also appreciates University Hospital’s leadership in prehospital transfusion, an advancing area of health care that is saving lives by providing blood to patients in need at the point of injury.”

“University Hospital is proud to be the first in the nation with a nationally recognized program for initiating blood transfusions in the field – extending our world-class trauma care even further into the community and dramatically expanding our opportunities to save lives and reduce poor outcomes,” said Carole Johnson, president and CEO of University Hospital, Newark. “Today’s announcement marks an important recognition for our emergency medical services, lab, blood bank and trauma teams who are consistently working together to deploy all available assets to give our patients the best possible care and the strongest opportunity to survive and thrive.” 

For patients experiencing severe trauma, every second that passes can be life-threatening. Prehospital transfusion programs, like University Hospital’s, are a growing trend across the country and are helping to save lives by bringing life-saving blood directly to patients at the point of injury; this can improve survival rates by reducing blood loss and preventing the rapid progression of shock.

University Hospital’s experience with prehospital transfusion is a testament to the importance of such programs. On the very day that it launched its prehospital transfusion program, staff were called to assist at the scene of a serious motorcycle collision nearby. One of the victims was experiencing severe trauma, had a shock index greater than one, had sustained significant injuries, and was losing blood rapidly. An ambulance – now carrying a supply of blood, per the protocols of the prehospital transfusion program – was dispatched to the scene and health care providers administered a life-saving blood transfusion to the victim within nine minutes of the collision. The patient was then transported to the hospital, where he received additional blood transfusions and underwent several operations. The rapid response – including the reduction in time between the collision and the blood transfusion – are credited with saving his life.

AABB’s team of experts is available to assist organizations who are working to develop a prehospital transfusion program and offers AABB accreditation as a means to advance quality and safety in this area of the field. AABB offers myriad resources for prehospital transfusion programs on its website at www.aabb.org/prehospital.