Bridgeport, CT (March 20, 2026) – Ten months after Bridgeport Hospital launched its lifesaving prehospital blood transfusion program, the hospital is making even more investment in the program. Bridgeport Hospital is providing new, upgraded coolers for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies to store the blood that paramedics need to administer blood transfusions directly in their ambulances at the point of care. The $40,000 investment was made thanks to the Bridgeport Hospital Foundation.
“Maintaining the safety and integrity of every unit of blood has always been our top priority,” said Edward Snyder, MD, director of the Blood Bank at Bridgeport Hospital. “With advances in technology, we’ve upgraded how we store and monitor blood products, strengthening the chain of custody with more precise, real-time temperature tracking for every unit. These updated coolers enhance our ability to see exactly where blood is and confirm it remains within strict clinical standards at all times, even in challenging field conditions. The result is greater efficiency, improved oversight and the confidence that blood is optimally preserved and immediately ready for transfusion when EMS teams reach a patient.”
The Bridgeport Hospital Blood Bank provides EMS teams, as available, with one unit of group O-positive red blood cells for use in the field. In the short time this program has been running, a dozen blood transfusions have been administered in the field.
“Prehospital blood transfusion is one of the most powerful tools we have in emergency medicine today,” said Doug Latham, MD, EMS medical director for Bridgeport Hospital. “We’ve already seen it save lives. Patients who might not have survived the trip to the hospital are now getting the critical intervention they need right at the scene. The impact has been immediate and undeniable, and it’s transforming outcomes for our most severely injured patients.”
This program is a collaboration with Bridgeport Hospital’s EMS partners from Bridgeport AMR, Trumbull EMS and Stratford EMS, who have committed to partnering with the hospital to provide access to EMS field blood transfusions, ensuring cutting-edge care in the prehospital environment.
Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a non-profit 501-bed acute care hospital with two campuses (plus 42 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital). Its Bridgeport and Milford Campuses serve patients from across the region. The hospital admits more than 23,000 patients and provides nearly 350,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 64 verified burn centers in the United States. Bridgeport Hospital is committed to providing safe, compassionate and cost efficient care to its patients and the community. www.bridgeporthospital.org
