Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service (MAAS) is advancing prehospital care across Bartow, Cobb, and Paulding Counties with the launch of its new whole blood transfusion program—making it one of the first private EMS agencies in the Southeast to bring this lifesaving capability directly to trauma scenes. A key part of this rollout is MAAS’s use of the APRU6L, a temperature‑controlled blood storage and transport unit that allows paramedics to safely carry and administer low‑titer Type O whole blood in the field.
Whole blood gives severely injured patients what they need most in the first minutes after major trauma: oxygen‑carrying red cells, clotting factors, and volume in a single unit. As MAAS Medical Director Dr. Yuko Nakajima notes, early transfusion can stabilize vital signs and restore oxygen delivery when waiting for the hospital simply isn’t an option.
With more than 800 certified medics, MAAS is equipping Advanced Life Support units with two units of whole blood stored in the APRU6L and training crews in blood administration, recognition of hemorrhagic shock, and management of transfusion reactions. This approach ensures safe, rapid care delivery across both urban and rural areas—especially in places where transport times can be longer.
The impact is already evident. In August 2025, MAAS crews treated a stabbing victim in Smyrna who was experiencing massive hemorrhage. By starting whole blood en route, the team restored circulation and supported clotting, significantly improving the patient’s chance of reaching surgery. According to MAAS Clinical Services & Quality Management Manager Rob Bozicevich, replacing blood with blood made an immediate difference in the outcome.
While prehospital blood transfusion has been standard in military medicine and select urban systems, civilian adoption has lagged due to cost and logistics. MAAS’s coordinated, multi‑county launch—strengthened by tools like the APRU6L—demonstrates how private EMS can lead in bringing forward‑thinking, lifesaving innovation to the community.
MAAS’s whole blood program represents a major step forward for trauma care in metro Atlanta and sets a strong model for EMS agencies nationwide. Read more here.