EMERGENCY TRANSFUSION DURING MEDICAL AIR TRANSPORT - DEVELOPMENT OF AN OFF-SITE STORAGE AND TRANSFUSION PROGRAM

Members of The Ohio State University Medical Center Transfusion Servic es report their experience with the development and function of an off -site blood product storage and transfusion program. SKYMED, a central Ohio air medical service program, needed to transport red blood cell units with selected patients during air medical transport. Personnel f rom SKYMED and the university's transfusion services assessed the stan dards that needed to be met and the available resources. They then dev eloped an effective, safe program in which red blood cell units can be stored directly at SKYMED headquarters. Only a few patients have requ ired transfusion during the program's 3-year existence. Nevertheless, with the program, provision of red blood cell units is performed safel y and routinely.