KUDOS: Maybe this is the adult equivalent of a proud parent putting a paper with an A+ on the refrigerator, but when Larry Sperry called us on Tuesday to ask us to write about his son, we agreed.
Bradford native Dr. Jason Sperry laughed when he returned a call to The Era newsroom, saying, “You don’t have to do what my father tells you to.”
In this case, doctor, your father happened to be right.
Larry asked us to share some pretty impressive news about his son with our readers.
Jason has had a research study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The 1989 graduate of Bradford High is an assistant professor with a primary appointment in the department of surgery, division of trauma and general surgery, and secondary appointments in the department of critical care medicine and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Pittsburgh.
He works at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center at Presbyterian Hospital.
The published paper is titled “Prehospital plasma during air medical transport in trauma patients at risk for hemorrhagic shock.”
We asked him to explain it to us in layman’s terms.
“Plasma is part of the blood that is responsible for helping clots form,” Jason said. “Typically it’s given to patients when their blood is too thin or who need help with their clotting. It’s been shown that if you give plasma in the hospital following injury it may be beneficial.
“This study was aimed to show that even giving in it in the prehospital setting may help reduce bleeding and may reduce the inflammation that complicates injury,” he said.
The patients in the study had major injuries and were being transported to trauma centers in medical helicopters. “It was a randomized study over four years,” Jason explained.
“Ultimately 501 patients were analyzed,” he said. “It showed a ten-percent mortality benefit if you receive plasma on a helicopter.”
So what does that mean?
“It has the potential to change the way we treat trauma patients before they arrive,” the doctor explained. “It has an even greater potential for benefit for military folks.”
He said thawed plasma was used in the study, which complicates implementing this procedure across the country. “Thawed plasma only has a five day shelf life,” he said. “We had to have it always ready on the helicopter.”
However, the FDA is considering for approval a freeze-dried plasma, which has a two-year shelf life.
“In the near future with this other type of product that doesn’t have a short shelf life, this has the potential to save hundreds if not thousands of lives,” Jason said.
See what we mean? Larry was right to want the world to know of his son’s accomplishment.
We asked Jason how the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine came into play.
He explained the results of the study were “very appealing and it was well executed. Nine different trauma centers, 27 helicopter bases were utilized. When we wrote it up, we planned to send it to the top journal, and that’s the New England Journal.”
He had to do some re-writing, but the article is available in the July 26 edition.
Jason explained he was the principal investigator in the study, while his partner was Dr. Frank Guyette. “He is the helicopter medical director. His expertise was very important in this.”
To tell you a bit more about Jason, he attended Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland for his bachelor’s degree in chemistry/psychology; Case Western Reserve School of Medicine for his MD; did his residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore; his master’s of public health at University of Texas at Houston School of Public Health; and his fellowship at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Since 2007, he’s been with UPMC Presbyterian.
