5 Feb 2024
In December 2023, London’s Air Ambulance’s advanced trauma team – which serves the city 24/7, 365 days a year – attended to 159 patients.
In terms of the mechanism of injury that led to these individuals being critically injured, assault resulted in 39 patients (25 per cent). Transport-related injuries resulted in 31 patients (19 per cent), falls 23 patients (14 per cent), medical injuries 20 (13 per cent) and accidents 15 (nine per cent). Another 31 patients (19 per cent) had other or unknown mechanisms of injury.
Treating these patients at scene – as they do not have time to make it to hospital – involved administering 29 rapid sequence intubations, 21 blood transfusions, 15 femoral arterial lines, four thoracotomies (open chest surgery) and more. For some of these treatments, like blood transfusions and open chest surgery, only our crew can provide them at the roadside in London.
We attend to every borough in London; serving the 10 million that visit, live and work in London. During December 2023, we attended to Tower Hamlets the most often, followed by Westminster and then Southwark. Once the patient has been treated and stabilised at scene, our crew accompany them usually to the nearest major trauma centre, of which there are four in London.
In this month, 48 patients (46 per cent) were taken to The Royal London Hospital, 30 (29 per cent) to St Mary’s Hospital, 19 (18 per cent) to King’s College Hospital and five (five per cent) to St George’s Hospital.
If you would like to compare these statistics to the month of November 2023 – in which we attended 149 patients – you can read that month’s report here.
We are a charity, with 96 per cent of our funds reliant on public support. By September 2024, we need to have raised an additional £15 million to replace our two aging helicopters. Can you support us and help fund your new fleet?