Sphere Research - Great North Air Ambulance Service

Our clinicians regularly undertake research projects in order to improve clinical standards and to share learning with others.

Recent papers authored by our clinicians have appeared in the British Medical Journal and the official journal of the Association of Anaesthetists. The findings have led to the introduction of new techniques and equipment, as well as improved tasking to incidents.

Publications

The Great North Air Ambulance Service clinical team have contributed to the following publications:

Prehospital analysis of northern trauma outcome measures: the PHANTOM study

To compare the mortality and morbidity of traumatically injured patients who received additional prehospital care by a doctor and critical care paramedic enhanced care team (ECT), with those solely treated by a paramedic non-ECT.

Smith CA, Hardern RD, LeClerc S, et al

Prehospital analysis of northern trauma outcome measures: the PHANTOM study

Emergency Medicine Journal 2019;36:213-218.

Secondary Transfer of Stroke Patients for Thrombectomy by Air Ambulance in England: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services(HEMS) for secondary transfer of stroke patients eligible for thrombectomy could have a significant impact on outcomes for patients residing in areas remote from a thrombectomy centre (TC). Remote units can not sustain a 24/7 thrombectomy service locally and transfer to a TC is necessary. There are few data on cost-effectiveness of secondary transfer via HEMS to inform commissioning decisions.We are evaluating the cost-effectiveness of HEMS versus ground-based ambulance (GBA) for stroke thrombectomy in England.

Flynn D, Coughlan D, McMeekin P, Ford GA, Craig D, Rice S, Burgess D, Balami J, Mawson A, Lumley H, White, P.
Secondary Transfer of Stroke Patients for Thrombectomy by Air Ambulance in England: A Cost-effectiveness Analysis.
European Stroke Journal. 2018; 3(1S): 11.

Impact of a physician-led pre-hospital critical care team on outcomes after major trauma

The deployment of physician-led pre-hospital enhanced care teams capable of critical care interventions at the scene of injury may confer a survival benefit to victims of major trauma. However, the evidence base for this widely adopted model is disputed. Failure to identify a clear survival benefit has been attributed to several factors, including an inherently more severely injured patient group who are attended by these teams.

Hepple DJ, Durrand JW, Bouamra O, Godfrey P. Impact of a physician-led pre-hospital critical care team on outcomes after major trauma. Anaesthesia. 2019 Apr;74(4):473-479. doi: 10.1111/anae.14501. Epub 2018 Dec 5. PMID: 30516270.

Pre-hospital emergency medicine and the trauma intensive care unit

The system of trauma care has been revolutionised over the last decade with the introduction of major trauma networks across the United Kingdom and the development of subspecialist national training in pre-hospital emergency medicine. Pre-hospital care providers feed trauma patients into trauma units or major trauma centres depending upon the severity of their injuries and their stability for a potentially longer primary transfer to access specialist major trauma services.

Frostick E, Johnson C. Pre-hospital emergency medicine and the trauma intensive care unit. J Intensive Care Soc. 2019 Aug;20(3):242-247. doi: 10.1177/1751143718783601. Epub 2018 Jun 28. PMID: 31447918; PMCID: PMC6693101

GNAAS celebrates milestone as 500 patients have now received ‘Blood on Board’

In 2015, the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) began carrying blood and plasma on board their aircraft and overnight cars. This introduction allowed the critical care team to deliver transfusions at the scene of an incident, to the most seriously ill or injured patients, giving them the best chance of survival. This treatment was … Continued

Blood on board project launched in Italy

The Great North Air Ambulance Service’s (GNAAS) Blood on Board project is thought to have saved dozens of lives since its launch in 2015. After hearing of the project, the Regional Emergency-Urgency Agency (known as AREU) sent two clinicians to visit the charity to find out more. Simone Celi, an advanced nurse practitioner and Christian … Continued

Meet the team: GNAAS doctor Rachel Hawes

Working three jobs and coming up with new life-saving medical advancements, all while being a mum to two young children isn’t for the faint-hearted… Holly Taylor met with GNAAS doctor, Rachel Hawes, to find out about her career, her pioneering concept that changed the face of air ambulance medicine, and that one superpower she relies … Continued

Italians highlight benefits of ‘blood on board’ during conference

Earlier this year we welcomed two Italian clinicians who work in pre-hospital care to our base, so they could find out how GNAAS uses blood products in the pre-hospital environment. Simone Celi, an advanced nurse practitioner, and Christian Salaroli, an anaesthetist, work for the Regional Emergency-Urgency Agency (AREU) in the Lombardy region in Northern Italy. … Continued

Honour for Blood on Board doctor

Dr Rachel Hawes received an OBE in recognition of her pioneering work with Newcastle Hospitals and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). This included the introduction of the Blood on Board service, which allowed GNAAS to carry out roadside blood and plasma transfusions, the first time in the North of England this had been … Continued