When hundreds of wounded began pouring into hospitals on October 7, 2023, Israel’s blood supply system faced a challenge like never before.
“For trauma patients, we need a special type of blood called low-titer O whole blood,” explained Moshe Tzadok, manager of the automatic blood-typing unit at Magen David Adom (MDA). “In regular times, we supply between five to ten units a day to the army and trauma centers. After October 7, we had to supply 100 units every day. It was like a mission impossible.”
The MDA team responded by automating its blood-typing systems, validating new processes, and switching to 12-hour shifts around the clock. They even worked through Shabbat to meet the demand.
“We managed to check around 5,000 samples every day and supply about 100 units of low-titer O blood to the army,” Tzadok said during a special ILTV and Jewish Agency virtual event marking two years since October 7.
Unlike standard blood used in transfusions, low-titer O whole blood contains red blood cells, plasma with anticoagulants, and platelets, making it far more effective for treating severe trauma and rapid blood loss.
“This kind of unit is special for bleeding patients,” Tzadok explained. “All the articles show that this blood is better than what was used before.”
The innovation didn’t happen overnight. MDA’s director of blood services, Professor Eilat Shinar, had initiated preparations months earlier.
“Fortunately, Professor Shinar thought of this long before the war,” Tzadok said. “She told me, ‘We have to integrate this product into the blood services.’ So we started reading articles and doing validation. It took us half a year to make it happen.”
That foresight and preparation paid off. According to Tzadok, the use of low-titer O whole blood has dramatically reduced battlefield mortality rates.
“Twenty years ago, when they used packed red blood cells, the mortality rate was about 15% of injured soldiers in the field,” he said. “Now, according to the army, it dropped to 7%.”
While Tzadok acknowledged that many factors played a role, he said this special blood unit was certainly significant.
Learn more about MDA’s response on and after October 7:
October 7 MADA
(ILTV)
