UK Air Ambulances Will Carry Whole Blood in New Clinical Trial

Air ambulances in the United Kingdom will begin carrying whole blood as part of a new clinical trial led by NHS Blood and Transplant.

The Study of Whole blood In Frontline Trauma (SWIFT) trial will recruit 848 patients throughout the next two years to compare survival rates and the amount of blood needed in the first 24 hours after injury between patients who receive whole blood and those who receive component therapy. Half of trial patients will receive transfusions of red blood cells and plasma separately, with platelets given if needed after arrival at the hospital. The other half will receive transfusions of O-negative whole blood.

Previous studies have suggested that pre-hospital whole blood transfusion could lead to lower mortality risk and reduce the amount of blood needed after patients arrive at hospital. SWIFT trial investigators believe that whole blood may improve patient outcomes because it contains platelets, which are not currently transfused on air ambulances due to their short shelf life and storage requirements. If the trial shows that pre-hospital whole blood transfusion benefits patients, it could help reduce trauma deaths in both civilian and military settings. 

“We have known that blood transfusions save lives in patients with life-threatening hemorrhage for over 100 years, but the exact nature and optimal timing of those transfusions are still not known,” said Professor Jason Smith, the study’s co-chief investigator. “This study will hopefully give us the answer as to whether whole blood is better than our current standard care in terms of clinical and cost effectiveness.”