University of California, Riverside, United States
Background/Case Studies: The County of Los Angeles Fire Department launched the Los Angeles Development and Rapid Operationalization of Prehospital Blood (LA-DROP) pilot program on 4/01/25, supported by a novel supply-chain solution developed in conjunction with Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (HUMC). Preliminary data assessing the efficacy of this model are reported.
Study
Design/Methods: Low Titer Group O-positive Whole Blood (LTOWB) units purchased by LA DROP were maintained under appropriate storage and transport conditions until use. Units unused by day +21 were returned to vendor. Vendor prioritized repatriation of LA-DROP units back to HUMC unless distributed elsewhere. Data related to LTOWB utilization, HUMC inventory impact, safety, and final disposition were extracted for the preliminary 4/01/25 through 5/9/25 rollout period and presented using descriptive statistics.
Results/Findings: A total of 25 LTOWB units at a median (range) shelf-life of 7 (3-12) days were deployed to LA-DROP, with 9/25 (35%) utilized. Of these, 7/9 were transfused and 2 remained in LA-DROP inventory. Of the original 25 units, 16 units (64%) neared the return cutoff and were returned to vendor at 20 (12-21) days. Of these, 3/16 (19%) were distributed elsewhere and 13/16 (81%) reissued to HUMC at 21 (18 to 24) days, of which 10/13 (77%) were transfused at 32 (24 to 35) days while 3/13 (23%) remained in HUMC inventory. There were no definite transfusion reactions and discard rate thus far has been zero.
Conclusions: The novel supply chain solution developed for LA-DROP has demonstrated excellent performance with zero waste and no safety signals.
