– If they need a blood donor, then I have to be available, says firefighter Frank Roger Olsen in Vadsø. He and a few dozen other Finnmarkings have been given a key role in a new project that makes it safer to live in Outer Norway: Wandering blood banks. Hand-picked people line up at short notice and donate a pint of blood if someone is affected by life-threatening bleeding. In this way, the patients can receive a crucial blood transfusion at the local health centre, before they are sent on to hospital. Only the hospitals have regular blood banks. It is far too expensive and complicated to run a normal blood bank in small health centres. Fresh produce from healthy volunteers is the solution. Photo: news Redder liv Berlevåg was first out and was approved in May last year. Since then, Alta, Honningsvåg and Vadsø have followed. In addition, there is a traveling blood bank on Svalbard. The scheme has already saved several lives. – Thank goodness, it’s not like people very often get life-threatening bleeding. But we have already had one activation in Berlevåg, and we have three in Alta, says Torunn Apelseth. She is professional project manager for the blood bank in the Norwegian Coordination Center for Blood Preparedness. A long way to the nearest hospital – and a lot of bad weather. It is typical for Finnmark and many other outlying areas. Torunn Apelseth is impressed by how quickly local health personnel can obtain blood from the emergency blood donors. Photo: news – In order to be able to give patients with life-threatening bleeding the recommended treatment, we have to pull the blood bank out of the hospital. We must have systems that enable us to have blood on air ambulances. Especially here in Finnmark, we also have to look at whether there are municipalities or places where we can have an offer to donate blood, says Apelseth. Works quickly Apelseth is very satisfied that local medical centers are able to obtain blood in a short time. – It goes incredibly fast. The record is probably held by Alta, who has managed to get a ready-made bag of blood in 24 minutes after the blood bank is activated, says Apelseth. She was present when health personnel in Vadsø were certified before the weekend. – During the exercises, the time is around 30 minutes. I think it’s very good. For many places in Finnmark, that is actually the time it may take to get air ambulances on site, even in good weather. Conny Graumann and his colleagues in Alta can obtain blood in a maximum of half an hour, experience shows. Photo: news Conny Graumann is coordinator of the traveling blood bank in Alta. – The button has been pressed three times. We have mobilized all tappers and emergency blood donors and had the first bag of blood ready within half an hour, she says. – I think the vast majority of people are very impressed with how things work. Thoroughly tested Bent-Ove Jamtli is the project manager for the blood preparedness project in Helse Nord. He has no doubt that traveling blood banks will save lives. – There are several incidents where the municipal doctor has admitted patients and has not been able to save them, because due to storms and other things, they have not been able to take the patient further, nor have they had the opportunity to donate blood. It has been quite frustrating, says Jamtli. It is far too expensive and complicated to run an ordinary blood bank to be able to have it in municipal emergency rooms. Bent-Ove Jamtli leads the blood readiness project in Helse Nord, which is behind the pilot project commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Care. Photo: news – And there simply isn’t enough expertise to create it in so many places. The traveling blood donors are tested and interviewed, and they have blood type 0, which means that their blood can be given to patients with all other blood types as well. – Compared to an ordinary blood bank, with the facilities, procedures and personnel they have, there is not as high a degree of security. But we try to compensate for that by having safe routines, says Jamtli. If the experiences are good, several places in the country will get the same offer. Conny Graumann has no doubt that she will give the thumbs up when the project is to be evaluated at the turn of the year. – It is clear that we are going to save lives!
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Walking blood bank saves lives in pilot project in Finnmark – news Troms and Finnmark
