SPMAGTF-CR-CC: Battlefield Blood Transfusion Training

Photo By Sgt. Alexandra Munoz | U.S. Navy Sailors, assigned to the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC), carry a simulated casualty to a KC-130J in Kuwait, May 2, 2021. The SPMAGTF-CR-CC is a crisis response force, prepared to deploy a variety of capabilities across the region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alexandra Munoz)  

KUWAIT

05.02.2021

Story by Lance Cpl. Alexandra Munoz 

U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command

KUWAIT - United States Marines and Sailors with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) – Crisis Response – Central Command conducted a mass casualty exercise where they received hands-on experience triaging patients, administering medications, treating different injuries on scene, and most importantly, conducting a battlefield blood transfusion.
The Valkyrie Blood Transfusion is a technique where corpsmen resupply an injured service member with blood drawn directly from someone else’s veins while they are still on the battlefield. All potential donors must be prescreened for low titer O Blood prior to being added to the donor pool to be called upon during a combat emergency.
This unique opportunity allowed Marines and Sailors to train with simulated casualties and practice hands-on treatment while flying in a Marine Corps KC-130J.
“We have never done this training in the states”, said Major Khadijah Nashagh, “but now that we are deployed, we have the opportunity to train like this. We now have an estimate of the timeline, and other considerations such as available oxygen on board, the weather conditions, and the climb angle for takeoff and landing so we can be ready at a moment’s notice.” Major Nashagh serves as the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron Detachment A OIC.

Once aboard the KC-130J, the sailors ensured all the patients were securely strapped onto litters. After being in the air for 30 minutes, Hospital Corpsman Second Class Charles Ortega began the Fresh Whole Blood Transfusion.
“Being in the air definitely affects the medicine to some degree,” Ortega said. “You have to be thinking about what is going on with the patient that could possibly make their condition worse. We always want to ask the pilots - can you fly lower but faster? Can you get us there quickly but safely?”
For everyone involved, time is a critical factor. From the moment triaging starts to treatment and transportation, time is valuable.

The blood draw and transfusion directly from the donor to the injured patient can be done at the point of injury, on the scene, or in the aircraft. This, in turn, increases the survivability of the patient enroute to higher level care.
Lieutenant Commander Katrina Landa spoke about the necessity of the procedure.
“Getting blood to someone quickly is obviously a way to save a life and have the best medical outcome for that person, in an austere environment we may not have access to a hospital, so we definitely need to be able to pull from our own resources.”
Providing blood quickly and easily to wounded personnel can be lifesaving. A study found that almost a quarter of the 4,596 combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2011 could have been prevented. More importantly, almost 90 percent of the deaths occurred before the casualty reached a medical facility, meaning that the Valkyrie Blood Transfusion program could have saved many lives.

The reality is, we are only one well-placed rocket, drone, or ballistic missile attack away from a mass casualty event.
“The Marines and Sailors of the SPMAGTF have to be at their absolute best on what could be their worst day,” says Colonel Philip Laing, the Commanding Officer for the SPMAGTF-CR-CC.
He spoke on how he is confident in the abilities of the aircrew and medical team to save lives on the battlefield if the need presented itself. He went on to say,
“The team took this training event to the tactical edge, and I am confident that if the SPMAGTF had to respond to what would certainly be a tragic and horrific event, that they would be at their best.”
As the battlefield evolves, it is imperative that our medical techniques continue to improve and our aircrew and medical teams remain effective and ready for the inevitable and ever-changing threat we face every day. This training enhances the capabilities of the SPMAGTF-CR-CC to respond to a variety of crisis throughout the Central Command area of operations.

Brian J Eastridge (2012 Dec) Death on the Battlefield (2001-2011): Implications for the Future of Combat Casualty Care.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23192066/

• Date Taken: 05.02.2021
• Date Posted: 06.09.2021 09:45
• Story ID: 398452
• Location: KW