26th July 2010

On 26th July 2010 local lifesaving charity, Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, (WNAA) landed near Long Marston Air Field, Warwickshire, to rescue a male who was suffering from a suspected heart attack.
 
The Air Ambulance crew arrived on the scene early evening and located the 54 year old male, who was from Bidford.  The WNAA crew quickly stabilised the male and then air lifted him to University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire Hospital for further care.
 
When rescuing patients who have or are suffering a cardiac arrest time is very much of the essence and just 41 minutes after the expert crew landed at the scene, they had stabilised the patient, transferred him to the helicopter and had safely flown him to hospital.
 
For more information please log onto www.wnaa.co.uk
 
~ENDS~
For more information please contact
Kit Edwards
PR & Communications Manager, 
DD: 08454 130982/ mobile: 07545426035
 
 
Notes to Editors:

• WNAA is a registered charity, which receives no funding from the Lottery or Government and it costs the charity over £1.5million a year to keep the vital service operational and saving lives.
• WNAA uses an Agusta 109 Power; with a cruise speed just short of 200mph, the fastest civilian helicopter available.
• Enabling WNAA to quickly provide vital medical care on the scene often meaning the difference between life and death.
• The aircraft has the capability for a rapid start and shut-down sequence and can be airborne in about 45 seconds where some services can take around two minutes to warm up and the same to shut down.
• The crew provide intensive care to patients on scene and during flight.
• Rapidly responding to emergency 999 calls saving people who live, work or travel through our regions and beyond when needed.
• Currently serving a population of 1.2 million people across 2,200 square miles of Warwickshire and Northamptonshire.
• The additional skills of the crew can bring the hospital emergency department to the accident scene. e.g. normally a patient would only benefit from advanced analgesia and Anaesthetics in the A&E department, we have the skill set and resources to manage the patient on scene, for example, given a patient with an acute head trauma and suspected brain injury, we can manage the patient in an advanced manner, by Anaesthetising on scene, we control the patients environment by managing airway, controlling blood pressure and adequately oxygenating the brain.