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Emergency Prehospital Blood Transfusion

Prehospital Blood Transfusion

Emergency blood transfusions save lives and improve patient outcomes, allowing emergency medical service professionals safely provide life-saving transfusions at the site of the emergency and during transport, well in advance of the patient's arrival at the hospital.

AABB, through its new Standards and Accreditation program for Emergency Prehospital Transfusion, as well as its more than 75 years as the leader in transfusion safety, is uniquely positioned to support the dedicated professionals seeking to deliver the highest level of safety for emergency transfusion, regardless of the location for this critical emergency care.

AABB Standards and Accreditation for Emergency Prehospital Transfusion ensure an integrated community of emergency medical service providers working closely with blood donor centers, hospital emergency departments and transfusion services with a mutual commitment to deliver safe and effective blood transfusion, regardless of location for emergency care.

Safety, Quality, Education, Advocacy, Coordinated Response

Why Prehospital Blood Transfusion?

Minutes matter: Severe hemorrhage can cause irreversible shock and death within minutes, making early intervention critical. Emergency medical services can provide prehospital blood transfusion at the point of injury, improving survival rates and preventing the rapid progression of shock.

AABB Standards and Accreditation drive best practices for emergency medical services extending to blood transfusion at the point of injury, when necessary.

Mark Piehl

“Every single minute someone is bleeding to death and in shock, they are at high risk of dying. Our job is to resuscitate, to get blood into the patient as quickly as we can—ideally not when they first arrive in the hospital, but close to their point of injury.”

- Mark Piehl, MD, MPH, University of North Carolina School of Medicine

Innovation in Transfusion Video

Learn more about the ways in which prehospital blood transfusion programs are improving patient care. Get complimentary access to the 2025 AABB Annual Meeting session recording of "Innovation in Transfusion: How Creative Partnerships are Improving the Care of Critically Ill Trauma Patients."

Moderator: Randi Schaefer, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CEN, Schaefer Consulting
Speakers:
Christina Warren, MSHS,MLS(ASCP)SBB, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Tom Dransfield, NRP, New Orleans EMS
Mark Piehl, MD, MPH, University of North Carolina School of Medicine

Why AABB Standards and Accreditation for Prehospital Blood Transfusion Programs?

AABB Standards and Accreditation bring together emergency medical service providers, blood donor centers, hospital emergency departments and transfusion services to work together to deliver safe and effective blood transfusion in an emergency setting.

To ensure optimal safety and quality is maintained in these settings, AABB's Standards for Emergency Prehospital and Scheduled Out-of-Hospital Transfusions have been developed by experts to address known challenges to blood safety when transported by air or ground, including:

  • Logistics and handling
  • FDA requirements for continuous proper storage temperature and environment, as well as the associated records
  • Administration processes and other responsibilities for transfusion safety

Did You Know?

AABB-accredited facilities can be found in more than 50 countries worldwide, and AABB has been leading the blood and biotherapies field in ensuring high-quality assessment and accreditation since 1957.

AABB Accreditation for Emergency Prehospital Transfusion Services is a highly collaborative, educational process to advance patient safety by:

  • Supporting dedicated emergency care professionals who provide critical care to patients in their communities.
  • Support emergency medical service providers striving to ensure best practices are utilized for prehospital transfusion.
  • Supporting regulatory compliance from start to finish, protecting patient safety from the laboratory to transfusion recipient, regardless of location.

AABB Accreditation for Emergency Prehospital Transfusion Services is a mark of distinction, granted for a two-year period, intended to help to ensure every patient transfused is treated with optimal care and safety. Benefits include:

  • Increased survival rates - reduces the likelihood of death from hemorrhage by reducing the time to life-saving blood transfusions.
  • Improved patient outcomes - faster resuscitation leads to better recovery rates.
  • Expands access to transfusion - extends capabilities for safe, effective transfusion to rural and remote areas with long transport times.
  • Improved safe storage and administration - drives the continuum of patient safety from the donor center/transfusion service to point of injury through proper controls and handling of blood products, regardless of location.
  • Mitigated risk for blood wastage - protects the blood supply by reducing the risk of mandatory destruction of mishandled blood products.

Questions about Standards and Accreditation?

Contact the AABB Accreditation Team

"These standards [and associated guidance] allow for EMS agencies and medical care providers who provide out-of-hospital transfusions to demonstrate compliance with approved standards and obtain accreditation. By addressing regulatory, financial and logistical challenges, we continue to pave the way for a nationwide implementation, which will save more lives."

- Audra L. Taylor, South Texas Blood & Tissue

Audra Taylor
EPSOHT Standards

AABB Standards and Accreditation for Prehospital Transfusion

The Standards for Emergency Prehospital and Scheduled Out-of-Hospital Transfusions establish the requirements for accreditation in transfusion services delivered outside of a hospital setting, including emergency medical service providers such as ambulances and helicopters.

These Standards and associated Accreditation activities were developed in response to demand and shifts in the point of transfusion care, for which quality and safety must be maintained.

AABB's accreditation program for these services ensures that patients receive optimal care and signal to blood suppliers that providers are compliant with AABB Standards.

View Standards

Advocacy and Reimbursement

AABB has been advocating for policies that reduce barriers and increase patients' access to prehospital blood transfusion for years. AABB public policy representatives have presented to several external groups, including federal advisory committees, about past and ongoing efforts to advance coverage and reimbursement policies intended to increase access to prehospital transfusion.

Examples of AABB Activities include:

  • Responding to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's request for information on prehospital blood transfusions.
  • Submitting comments to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the proposed rule updating Medicare ambulance payment policies for 2025.
  • Submitting a proposal to the CMS Innovation Center requesting a pilot service delivery and payment/reimbursement model that incorporates prehospital blood transfusions into the emergency medical system in 2021.
  • Spoke at the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians Corporate Engagement Council Meeting in November 2022.
  • Spoke at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of EMS federal advisory group in 2023.
  • Participating in the Prehospital Blood Transfusion Initiative Coalition, a diverse community of prehospital and hospital-based medical professionals, industry partners, blood collectors and government agencies to form the Prehospital Blood Transfusion Initiative Coalition (PHBTIC).

Education and Resources

Need Help Getting Started or Making a Decision?

AABB Consultants can provide additional support on your program including readiness, next steps and more. AABB Consulting Services provides tailored consultations with experienced consultants to propel your facility forward.

Whether you're seeking assistance with standards and accreditation for a prehospital blood transfusion program, or interested in other strategic growth planning and implementation, AABB consultants are ready to support your success.

Learn More About AABB Consulting Services