IT HAS been one year since Great Western Air Ambulance Charity started carrying blood on board its helicopters and critical care cars.

During this time 62 pre-hospital blood transfusions have been carried out by the charity 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 per cent were trauma cases, 13 per cent medical and 3 per cent a mixture of both.

GWAAC's 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 lifesaving asset.”

Before it began carrying blood, GWAAC estimated it would benefit two to four patients a month. 

However in the first year of carrying blood, pre-hospital blood transfusions were given to an average of five patients a month.

Every day the two units of O negative blood are collected from the North Bristol Trust Transfusion Laboratory at Southmead Hospital and delivered to GWAAC’s airbase in Filton by the charity Freewheelers EVS, who cover 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 en route 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.”

If the blood is not used, it is returned to Southmead Hospital by the volunteer blood bikers after 24 hours. The blood storage boxes maintain the temperature of the blood inside them in very narrow limits for over 24 hours.

Any unused blood units are therefore able to be put back into the Southmead Hospital blood bank, preventing waste.