SAN DIEGO — Delivering blood products to patients in the field can improve care for select trauma patients, but building, funding and sustaining a blood program remains a challenge. At Pinnacle 2026, Bruce Moeller, Mike Lozano and John Yeast explored how drone technology could make whole blood more accessible, particularly for rural EMS systems.
| MORE: On-demand webinar: Bringing whole blood to the front lines of EMS
About the panel
- Bruce Moeller is executive director of the Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services, University of South Florida.
- Mike Lozano is associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of South Florida.
- John Yeast is director of technology for St. Charles County Ambulance District
Key quotes
“It’s not a program that we need most of our patients to get all the time which makes it that much more complicated.” — Bruce Moeller
“Blood is better than pasta water, but if you don’t have blood, give pasta water (crystalloid and water).” — Mike Lozano
“If you can’t get whole blood in your area, don’t feel bad that you’re giving component therapy. Clinically, whole blood is no better than component therapy.” — Mike Lozano
“If you’re already contemplating doing blood delivery in the field, you’re already halfway there.” — John Yeast
“Once we start to have some of these programs developed and we can find the value and the data to support that, I think it will grow and grow.” — John Yeast
Following are three takeaways from the panel.
1. The biggest barriers aren’t clinical — they’re operational
The speakers agreed that the clinical case for whole blood is becoming increasingly well established. The challenge is everything that comes after that. Unlike medications that can be stocked on every ambulance, whole blood has a short shelf life, requires temperature control, careful inventory management and close coordination with blood centers and trauma hospitals. Those logistical hurdles make it difficult for many EMS agencies to justify carrying blood on every unit, particularly when only a small percentage of patients will ultimately need it.
The panel also noted that agencies considering field blood programs must think beyond the ambulance. Agreements with blood suppliers, policies for product rotation, funding and public education all become part of the implementation strategy.
2. Drone delivery could change how blood reaches the field
Rather than viewing drones as simply another delivery vehicle, the presenters encouraged attendees to think of them as a new link in the trauma system. Crews could identify a likely hemorrhagic patient while responding and simultaneously trigger a drone carrying whole blood. Depending on local resources, the blood could be flown directly to the scene, delivered to a predetermined rendezvous point during transport or staged at a forward supply location for rapid retrieval.
The concept may be particularly valuable during prolonged extrications or incidents where transport will be delayed. However, the speakers acknowledged that widespread implementation is still some distance away. Current drone platforms often lack the payload capacity, climate control and weather resilience needed for blood transport, while increasingly crowded airspace and regulatory requirements add additional complexity.
3. The greatest opportunity may be in rural EMS
While many urban EMS systems can reach a trauma center within minutes, rural agencies often face transport times of 30 minutes or longer. The panel noted that these are the systems most likely to benefit from on-demand blood delivery. Rather than placing expensive blood products on every ambulance, rural agencies could potentially access blood only when it is needed, reducing waste while expanding access to life-saving care.
Several demonstration projects are now underway to evaluate whether drone delivery is operationally feasible and cost-effective. If those programs show improved patient access and acceptable costs, the speakers believe rural EMS could become the first setting where drone-based blood delivery moves from concept to routine practice.
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