Page 14 - ADT MARCH 2023 Latest Magazine | GBP

plasma for use on military operations. Major
© UK MOD
General Tim Hodgetts, Surgeon General and
Master General of the Army Medical Services,
said: “The Army’s leadership in developing a
sovereign capability for dried plasma will
save the lives of injured service personnel on
operations, whilst securing our own national
supply chain for what is a critical product in
high international demand.”
Rebecca Cardigan, Head of NHS Blood
and Transplant’s Component Development
Laboratory, said: “Plasma saves lives every
day by treating massive blood loss. We’re
SAVING LIVES now researching and developing a world class
dried plasma product which will not only save
the lives of the Army’s battlefield casualties
but could one day be used in civilian care
where there are also logistical challenges,
The U.K. Ministry of Defence’s Blood Far such as by Air Ambulance crews.”
Forward programme is worthy of emulation
At present, the Army sources dried plasma
An innovative project to rapidly deliver blood and plasma to injured from NATO partners, which is subject to signif-
soldiers is set to save lives in warzones. The U.K. Ministry of Defence’s icant worldwide demand. Sourcing it from the
Blood Far Forward programme aims to deliver blood and plasma UK will ensure the Army has adequate supply
within 30 minutes of injury to soldiers in active warzones. Dried that is not reliant on other countries.The proj-
plasma – which helps the blood to clot – will decrease the Army’s ect will also enable single units of plasma to
reliance on frozen plasma which has to be thawed, taking longer be produced without the need of complex
to administer, and could be used by NHS Air Ambulances in the facilities and placed in more convenient,
future. Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families, plastic bags. Technological resources for the
Dr Andrew Murrison said: “We’re always striving to improve our project will be provided by Velico Medical,
ability to treat trauma in the field, and catastrophic injuries that who have been contracted by NHSBT to work
require acute medical attention in adverse environments, including in collaboration with NHS scientists, including
the battlefield, are some of the most challenging. “Treating people the process of gaining regulatory approval.
quickly and near to the point of injury is so often critical. That’s Richard Meehan, President and CEO of Velico,
why dried plasma is such an important step forward.” U.K. Health said:“Spray-dried plasma is not only highly
Minister Neil O’Brien said: innovative, but it will change the course of
“This project has the potential to save soldiers’ lives transfusion medicine. We are excited and
by treating significant blood loss with plasma. “We looking forward to work with our UK cham-
are continuing our history of health innovation on the pions, in bringing our technology one step
battlefield and investing in cutting-edge treatments by closer to changing lives in real-time.”
delivering plasma made in the UK to the front line. “We
work best when we’re working together and this project The cost of the project is £4.9 million. The proj-
is the perfect example of the government, NHS Blood ect will be delivered over three years and will
and Transplant, the Army and medical technologists involve clinical trials in the UK. It is expected
collaborating to deliver transformative care to people the resulting product will also benefit the NHS.
when they need it.” The UK has a track record of innovation in
the field of blood supplies to the battlefield.
During World War Two, 300,000 units of dried
In the warzone most deaths occur within 60 minutes due to cata- plasma were manufactured in Cambridge
strophic injury, head injury or major haemorrhage. Early provision and supplied most of the allies. The Blood
of plasma with red cells dramatically reduces mortality from major Far Forward programme is part of the work
haemorrhage. Frozen plasma currently takes an average of 20 the Army’s Futures Directorate is doing to
minutes to thaw and transporting it poses major logistical chal- improve battlefield logistics. This includes the
lenges, including requiring a freezer and specialist equipment. In army warfighting experiment and the human
contrast, dried plasma can be stored at room temperature and machine teaming project which is bringing
can be used by the medic when needed The Army has now funded robotics and autonomous systems into the
NHS Blood and Transplant to find a way to manufacture dried Army by 2025.

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