South Georgia Medical Center's Emergency Medical Services has a new medication in its arsenal to provide lifesaving treatment to trauma patients. 

Under the direction of Dr. Cole Seaton, SGMC EMS Medical Director, the emergency medical team will now have the capability to administer Tranexamic Acid (TXA) to trauma patients experiencing acute, severe blood loss.  

As a medical term, trauma is a bodily wound resulting from physical injury. This can range from minor cuts and bruises to life-threatening injuries or fractures. Trauma injuries can happen as a result of a fall, motor vehicle accident, sports, violence, and more. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, trauma is the leading cause of death for children and adults under age 44. In 2022, SGMC treated approximately 2,000 trauma patients, and 730 of those were admitted to the hospital.  

The TXA medication, in pre-hospital settings, has been shown effective in reducing trauma mortality. Hemorrhage, or acute, severe blood loss, remains the leading cause of preventable trauma death. Swift administration of TXA by emergency medical services can be critical to patient survival, particularly in rural communities with longer transport times.  

The availability of TXA on all SGMC ambulances is just one of many ways pre-hospital providers provide exceptional care for its most critical trauma patients.  

“All of our pre-hospital providers continuously train in order to provide the best trauma care," said Dr. Jared Sanders, SGMC’s Trauma Medical Director. "The new TXA protocol is just another example of how committed our providers are to ensuring trauma patients receive early definitive care to have the best possible outcomes."