Wyoming Life Flight now authorized to carry whole blood on air ambulances

CASPER (WNE) — Casper-based air ambulance service, Wyoming Life Flight, announced on Thursday that it is now authorized to carry and administer whole blood on its air medical transport services.

The organization, which serves the whole state, said in a press release that “Each unit of whole blood provides red blood cells, platelets, plasma, and clotting factors for superior outcomes for patients suffering from trauma or hemorrhagic shock” and that having whole blood will be “particularly valuable in rural areas ... .”

It’s the only service of its kind that can do this in Wyoming.

“Whole blood is fantastic because it holds all of the blood components such as white blood cells, platelets, plasma, and red blood cells. This is beneficial as many patients who need blood also need additional clotting factors, such as platelets, which are not available in plasma or red blood cells,” Stephanie Smith, a flight nurse with Wyoming Life Flight, said in the release. “Patients are able to get what they need not only to replace blood that is lost but also to get the clotting factors they need to stop the bleeding, all in one unit of whole blood.”

“The ability to carry whole blood on board means the people of Wyoming have access to a critical life saving intervention,” Darryl Crown, account executive with Air Methods, the leading air medical service provider in the nation and the parent company of Wyoming Life Flight, also said in the release. “With all of the outdoor activity and rural terrain in the state, whole blood is ideal for the type of injuries we see.”

This story was published on March 19, 2024.