(WXMI) — Corewell Health debuted upgrades that will help emergency responders save lives in the sky.
The health system’s Aero Med teams have been outfitted with blood warmers approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
The devices will facilitate emergency transfusions while airplanes and helicopters are airborne.
Previously, recipients were given refrigerated blood to reduce their body temperatures; however, that can lead to more problems.
Now Aero Med workers can care for patients as if they were in the emergency room.
“The leading cause of early mortality in traumatically injured patients is blood loss,” says Aaron Ziegler, MD. “Most ground agencies, they rely on giving some fluids, but they can't give blood, so they just try and get to the trauma center as fast as they can. We're able to start their definitive-level care right away, replacing the blood that they've lost, increasing their chances of survival.”
The Grand Rapids-based Aero Med and Traverse City-based North Flight Aero Med will be the first civilian air programs equipped with the blood-warming devices.
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