In February 2012, The Clinical Services Journal reported on how lessons learned on the battlefield could soon find their way into the treatment of civilian trauma cases by the NHS. BARRY HILL explains how one such initiative is already saving lives in the London region.
As a result of the continuing partnership between NHS Blood & Transplant (NHSBT) and the UK military’s blood supply team, combined with new advances in prehospital care and trauma surgery to control massive blood loss, British and allied troops on duty in Afghanistan have seen the highest ever survival rates for life-threatening injuries in the history of warfare. A key factor in what became known as the ‘Blood for the Battlefield’ project has, without doubt, been the deployment of Medical Emergency Response Teams or ‘MERTs.’
A MERT consists of Chinook helicopters carrying specialist medical equipment and personnel, including a consultant, nursing staff and paramedics. A MERT is also equipped with transfusion ‘shock packs’ which contains universal group O Negative red cells and group AB fresh frozen plasma. The medical teams aim to recover casualties and return them to base with minimal delay when necessary, actually commencing transfusion support and emergency surgery in flight itself. As a result, more patients are surviving major life-threatening injuries, due to the speed and professionalism of the MERT. In March 2012, London’s Air Ambulance (LAA) became the first UK air ambulance service to start attending the scenes of civilian trauma incidents with blood available for immediate transfusion.
‘Blood on Board’ or ‘BoB’ was the result of three years of planning that involved overcoming many logistical and regulatory hurdles.
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