{"id":1638,"date":"2026-06-06T16:05:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T16:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1638"},"modified":"2026-06-06T16:05:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T16:05:17","slug":"bannerair-brings-life-saving-antivenom-to-the-skies-over-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1638","title":{"rendered":"BannerAir brings life-saving antivenom to the skies over Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Getting bitten by a rattlesnake in the deep Arizona desert has always meant a desperate race to the nearest hospital. But waiting for an emergency room can often be too late. <\/p>\n

Read more Stretch of triple digit heat continues this weekend<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why BannerAir, Banner Health\u2019s air ambulance team, is changing the game by bringing a critical, lifesaving treatment out of the emergency room and straight into the sky. <\/p>\n

By equipping their \u201cflying ICU\u201d helicopters with antivenom, BannerAir crews can administer the medication intravenously mid-air. <\/p>\n

This allows them to begin reversing the effects of a toxic bite before the aircraft even leaves the ground, cutting treatment times for patients stranded in remote desert areas.<\/p>\n

After all, in the deep desert, survival is a race against time. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get bit by a snake, your tissue is going to start dying,\u201d said Dustin Matsuoka, a flight nurse with BannerAir. \u201cAnd then that can run systemically into the rest of your body and cause a myriad of other problems for your heart, lungs, liver and kidneys.\u201d <\/p>\n

Matsuoka has seen firsthand how quickly a snake\u2019s venom can travel through the body. It\u2019s why access to timely care is essential. <\/p>\n

\u201cBringing the antivenom to the patient, getting them to the larger center, spares most patients a lengthy hospital stay,\u201d Matsuoka said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just another tool that we can just add to the box,\u201d said BannerAir Flight Paramedic Paul Lewis. \u201cIt\u2019s a better outcome for patients.\u201d <\/p>\n

BannerAir is the only air ambulance program in the country to carry the antivenom medication called Anavip onboard its aircraft.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a powder form, and then we\u2019ll mix it with saline, so we have saline bags that we mix it with and give it in a drip to the patient,\u201d Lewis explained. <\/p>\n

Read more Rapper Fetty Wap sends flowers to principal placed on administrative leave after his \u2018Trap Queen\u2019 lyrics ended up in yearbook<\/a><\/p>\n

An adult is typically administered all 10 vials and could need more. <\/p>\n

The drug contains horse-derived antibodies that bind to and neutralize the toxins. <\/p>\n

So far, the results speak for themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur very first case, he was actually able to walk out of the hospital 24 hours later,\u201d said Amanda Wigman, BannerAir senior business development manager. \u201cSo, we\u2019re noticing a shorter stay and then also they don\u2019t need a re-dose… They\u2019re getting that initial dose of the Anavip and then they aren\u2019t having to get multiple re-doses afterwards.\u201d <\/p>\n

BannerAir currently operates five bases across Arizona, meaning this high-flying antidote is within reach for hikers and rural residents statewide. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe more that we can get this out into the community so they\u2019re not driving that two hours to get to the closest hospital or closest free-standing ER, knowing that we can bring it to them, will be huge for the community and we can work on saving some more lives,\u201d Wigman said.<\/p>\n

BannerAir is a 24\/7 hospital-based critical care air ambulance and medical transport program serving communities across Arizona. Launched by Banner Health in 2021, the program essentially operates as a fully equipped, flying intensive care unit (ICU) to rapidly transport critically ill or injured patients.<\/p>\n

The service has also added blood transfusion products onboard its helicopters to provide better treatment for patients suffering from severe trauma. <\/p>\n

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By equipping their \u201cflying ICU\u201d helicopters with antivenom, BannerAir crews can administer the medication intravenously mid-air. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1637,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nBannerAir brings life-saving antivenom to the skies over Arizona - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1638\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BannerAir brings life-saving antivenom to the skies over Arizona - 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