Since Wiltshire Air Ambulance began equipping its helicopters and rapid response vehicles with blood, its crew has managed to carry out blood transfusions for 35 patients. 28 of these patients managed to survive till they were dropped off at the hospital. Emergency blood supply is one step up for air ambulance transport services who wish to provide comprehensive life-saving services to their patients.
Pre-hospital Blood Transfusions Proven to be Beneficial
Before the air ambulance transport service began carrying blood in August 2015, it estimated that pre-hospital blood transfusions would need to be carried out for around one or two patients every month. Once it started equipping its aircrafts and vehicles with emergency blood supply, Wiltshire Air Ambulance has noticed that the procedure was carried out on an average of three patients a month during the first 12 months.
40-year-old, Mark Bryant, was one of the patients who survived after WAA’s crew provided him with pre-hospital blood transfusion. He had been involved in a critical road traffic collision and had suffered from extensive blood loss. This incident occurred only two weeks after the service began carrying blood and Bryant has expressed his gratitude towards Wiltshire Air Ambulance for saving his life.
Air Ambulance Transport gets Blood Supply Daily
Wiltshire Air Ambulance gets two units of O- blood every day from Southmead Hospital, delivered to them through Freewheelers EVS, the blood bike charity. If necessary, they can also get additional deliveries on an emergency basis. If the blood isn’t used within 24 hours, it is then returned to the hospital through the same delivery service in over to prevent waste.
WAA Chief Executive, David Philpott, has said that the decision to carry blood in their helicopters has proven to beneficial and even lifesaving in many cases.
