Airmen ensure blood flows to forward locations

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chuck Marsh
  • U.S. Central Command Air Forces Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  It is the job of the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group's Expeditionary Blood Transshipment System to ensure that lifesaving blood, plasma and cryoprecipitate (the part of the blood that aids in clotting) get from the states to the forward operating bases.

"All blood comes through here and that is mainly due to the airlift capabilities available," said Capt. Scott Corey, U.S. Central Command area joint blood program officer

"Each week, we receive shipments from the Armed Services Whole Blood Processing Laboratory," Captain Corey said. "We break down the pallets, take inventory and distribute the blood and plasma to forward operating locations."

Since 9/11, the EBTS team has handled and shipped more than 76,000 red blood cell units and more than 27,000 fresh frozen plasma units for Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines in need at forward deployed locations.

Those locations down range include Balad Air Base, Iraq, and Bagram AB, Afghanistan, which receive the blood at pre-positioned blood supply units. They, in turn, redistribute the blood to forward operating bases under their watch. The EBTS troops also resupply southern Iraq, the Horn of Africa and any Navy vessels in the Persian Gulf.

"The people at the EBTS don't get to see the results of their hard work, but I can assure them, as a nurse, they are doing a lot of good," said Maj. Debbie McKitrick, 379th EMDG nurse and volunteer plasma package inspector. "This is a huge deal to patients down range coming in with major injuries, especially amputations."

According to Navy Lt. David Koch, the forward blood program officer for the U.S. Central Command surgeon general, the blood is donated by military members, family members and anyone who can get on a military installation.

"We get boxes full of (blood, plasma and cryoprecipitate)," said Captain Corey who, along with the other four EBTS members, is deployed from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.

"We receive the pallets and separate them between the frozen plasma and the refrigerated blood," Captain Corey said. "We check the temperatures and ensure they are between the ranges necessary for the product. We also check the plastic covering to ensure there are no breaks or cuts in it. When traveling at roughly -18 degrees Celsius, the plastic gets very brittle and easily breakable. If we miss any breaks and doctors chose that unit and there is a hole, the contents will just run out and they will have wasted about 30 to45 minutes of the patient's precious time."

Each week, the EBTS people typically receive between 1,200 and 1,800 units from the laboratory. When traveling, the plasma is kept at least at a cool -18 degrees Celsius with the help of dry ice, and the blood hovers at a balmy 1 to 6 degrees Celsius.

Within 24 hours, the blood has been inventoried and is awaiting transport down range, an important turnaround due to the blood's life span of only 42 days.

"I didn't know moving blood was such a high priority," said Airman 1st Class Rachel Castaneda, the logistician of the EBTS. "When I think about it though, I'd rather have a busy day here than not have the blood to send down range to the folks who need it."

When the blood supply gets low, hospitals have two choices. They can take supplies from another base, which is not encouraged, or they can take emergency whole blood donations. At certain bases, there are pre-registered people who are designated when in a pinch and are called to go donate, Captain Corey said.

"The supplies go to taking care of multi-national coalition forces, Iraqi local nationals and even insurgents," Captain Corey said. "There is no discrimination when it comes to who gets the blood."