We can only create ‘new survivors’ if we have a detailed knowledge of why people are dying. With thanks to funding from Zoll Medical Corporation, we launched the Golden Hour Project to transform understanding of the causes of death within 60 minutes of a critical injury.

Drawing upon 30 years’ worth of patient data and working with coroners, pathologists, and radiologists, we are creating a knowledge base to drive clinical innovation and are devising national guidelines for investigating deaths. We are also working with London’s emergency services to establish smoother pathways and quicker treatment for those who are injured in major incidents such as terror attacks. Every patient deserves the best possible care, even if the circumstances are extremely challenging.

Our Golden Hour Project has highlighted that, for those patients who bleed to death before our teams arrive, our ability to reverse the dying process is still limited. This is why we plan to trial a cutting-edge trauma technique called Emergency Preservation and Resuscitation [EPR]. 

By rapidly ‘freezing’ these patients at the roadside, we hope to buy valuable time in which to get them to hospital. At normal body temperatures, they would have less than five minutes before brain damage occurs. But EPR drops the patient into a sort of suspended animation, giving approximately an hour to rapidly transport them to hospital and carry out resuscitative surgery. 

Implementing EPR represents the next step in a journey to end preventable deaths from traumatic injury in London. We can’t take this step without your support.

Your support saves lives

We’re here for every one of the 10 million people in London, every second of every day. Thank you for playing a part in helping us to save lives.

If you would like to find out more about a specific project and how your involvement could make a lasting difference, please get in touch with Tanya Moss, Philanthropy Manager on: 020 3023 3308 or email [email protected]

Contact Tanya