A recent Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) feature story spotlights UW Health Med Flight as a leader in a growing effort to deliver life-saving blood transfusions before trauma patients ever reach the hospital.
According to WPR’s reporting, Med Flight has administered over 160 units of whole blood to around 90 patients in the past year — often within the critical first hour after their injury. Using whole blood allows Med Flight crews to begin advanced resuscitation in the air, stabilizing patients with severe blood loss during transport from crash scenes, rural areas and other high-acuity emergencies.
Whole blood transfusion, which provides red blood cells, plasma and platelets together in their natural ratio, is a resuscitation modality that is only used by a relatively small number of emergency medical services nationwide. Med Flight’s adoption of this approach reflects mounting evidence that earlier access to whole blood can improve outcomes for patients experiencing traumatic hemorrhage.
In the WPR story, Dr. Ryan Newberry, assistant medical director for Med Flight and an assistant professor in the BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine, explains that delivering blood in the field helps put patients in a stronger position once they arrive at a trauma center, giving surgical teams critical time and information to guide care.
“This is not something every trauma center in the world is able to, or is doing yet,” Newberry said. “So we’re definitely towards the front of the pack with this capability.”
The initiative builds on Med Flight’s long-standing mission to bring expert emergency and critical care directly to patients across Wisconsin, particularly in regions far from definitive trauma services. By pairing rapid transport with advanced clinical capabilities, Med Flight continues to push the boundaries of what prehospital care can achieve.
WPR’s reporting also notes similar whole blood efforts underway in Milwaukee County’s ground EMS system, underscoring a broader statewide momentum toward earlier, more effective trauma resuscitation — with UW Health Med Flight playing a central role in advancing this care from the air.