More critically ill and injured people are surviving to hospital after receiving a blood transfusion at the roadside, following the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity starting to carry blood on board its helicopter and critical care cars.
During this time 62 pre-hospital blood transfusions have been carried out across Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire and parts of Wiltshire, significantly improving patients chances of survival.
Of the 62 transfusions 84% were trauma cases, 13% medical and 3% a mixture of both.
GWAAC Dr Harvey Pynn said: “Reviewing the 62 cases for those patients who have received a pre-hospital blood transfusion in this area, I have no doubt in my mind that lives have been saved as a result of this intervention.
“We will endeavour to prove this statistically in time and will develop our practices to optimise the use of this precious life saving asset.”
Before it began carrying blood GWAAC estimated it would benefit two – four patients a month.
However in the first year of carrying blood, pre-hospital blood transfusions were given to on average five patients a month.
Everyday the two units of O negative blood are collected daily from the North Bristol Trust Transfusion Laboratory at Southmead Hospital and delivered to GWAAC’s airbase in Filton by the charity Freewheelers EVS, which covers the south west.
Mel Rowbottom, a trustee of Freewheelers EVS, said: “Our volunteers have done a fantastic job, fulfilling their commitment to provide the essential relay link to move the blood supplies between Southmead Hospital and the Air Ambulance crews, whether at the base or meeting them enroute to a callout.
“The volunteers have ensured the delivery occurred every night in all types of weather and get a huge sense of pride knowing they played their part in helping to save lives.
“There is a great rapport between all the charity partners and Southmead which has allowed the service to easily evolve to meet changing operational requirements over the past 12 months, and we look forward to developing the service further over the next 12 months.”
If the blood is not used, it will be returned to Southmead Hospital by the volunteer blood bikers after 24 hours.
The blood storage boxes maintain the temperature of the blood within in very narrow limits for well over 24 hours.
Any unused blood units are therefore able to be put back into the Southmead Hospital blood bank, preventing waste.
