Devon Air Ambulance starts carrying freeze-dried plasma
Devon Air Ambulance is to carry freeze-dried plasma onboard its aircraft, which will provide patients with additional life-saving treatment that wasn’t previously available in the region until the patient arrived at the hospital’s Emergency Department.
Devon Air Ambulance is to carry freeze-dried plasma onboard its aircraft, which will provide patients with additional life-saving treatment that wasn’t previously available in the region until the patient arrived at the hospital’s Emergency Department.
Operations Director for Devon Air Ambulance Nigel Hare explained that, because all blood products need to be kept cold before being warmed up to near body temperature immediately before administering to the patient, challenges arise in an aircraft environment – thus, the frozen plasma, called LyoPlas, is a safer and more reliable solution.
“In simple terms, blood is made up of red blood cells which carry oxygen around the body, white blood cells which protect against and ‘eat up’ infection, and plasma, which amongst other things contains the clotting agents that helps blood to clot when you are bleeding,” Hare said.
LyoPlas is imported from Germany – it is received at the Transfusion Laboratory (Blood Bank) at the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust where it is stored chilled in accordance with stringent blood product regulations, providing traceability of Devon Air Ambulance’s LyoPlas. The plasma comes in a small 250ml bottle, which is kept in a special insulated bag and the whole process takes just a few minutes: the freeze-dried granules are reconstituted with body-temperature sterile water (which is carried in a separate insulated section of the bag).
Devon Air Ambulance explains that that the airbases hold enough LyoPlas to treat three or four patients, and that Devon Freewheelers – a charity specialising in transporting blood products and other urgent items around the country – collect replacement LyoPlas from the Blood Bank and deliver it to the airbases.
“As medical technology advances, Devon Air Ambulance strives to ensure our patients benefit from the latest innovations to help provide them with the best chance of a successful outcome,” commented Hare. “Without our fantastic supporters none of these developments would be possible. We are particularly grateful to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and Devon Freewheelers in helping us to add plasma to the other life-saving treatments we are able to provide our patients.”