MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — In an emergency, every minute matters. That's especially true for trauma patients on board an ambulance.

Saint Luke's Hospital in Monroe County is the first in the region to carry whole blood on its special critical care transport ambulances.

"Those patients are showing signs of shock, and they are hemorrhaging," said Christopher Smith, a paramedic. "They could be from a postpartum hemorrhage or some sort of trauma."

Now, blood is on board six of its ambulances. Paramedics say it buys time before patients can arrive at the emergency room.

"Our options were essentially — and I'm oversimplifying — salt water, normal saline, and we realized in trauma patients, especially, that it wasn't helpful," Smith said. "Blood was always the definitive care."

Chris Zukowski is

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