Medical Equipment

Advanced Air Ambulance, Corp., provides Advanced Life Support A.L.S. state-of-the-art medical equipment on board the air ambulance flights.

The following is a list of our most essential medical equipment:

� Cardiac Monitors
� Defibrillators
� IV pumps & solutions
� Infusion pumps
� Oxygen
� Oxygen supplies, regulators and gauges
� Pulse Oximeter
� Portable suction units
� Intubation equipment
� Respirator/Ventilator
� Oropharyneal airways
� Hand operated bag-valve
� mask resuscitators
� Blood pressure cuffs
� Drug box
� FAA approved stretcher

Executive Air Charter

In addition to air ambulance service, our Advanced Aero Charter division provides air charter service anywhere in the world.

Our executive travelers have enjoyed the selective variety of aircraft we offer to fit all their needs.

Travel in total privacy, security, and comfort; regardless of the distance of the flight or the number of passengers. You may choose from an executive fleet of Gulfstream, Challenger, Hawker, Lear Jet, King Air, and Cessna aircraft that accommodates any of your executive air charter needs.

When traveling with our company on a private charter aircraft, you may set your own schedule at any time of the day and arrive to your destination relaxed and comfortable.

Organ Transplant Transport

Since we operate around the clock, you will be able to count on us when an organ becomes available.

As organ retrieval requires an immediate response, we recommend that you contact us prior to the transfer to discuss availability, payment arrangements, and other details.

At a moment�s notice, we could be ready to pick up an organ recipient or an organ transplant team and transfer them to their destination.

Please note that due to time limitation, we urge you to compile a list of air transport companies to determine which will respond in the shortest time possible.

Medical Escort

Our Medical Escort Service program is available to those patients who require little assistance and could sit up on both domestic and international commercial airline flights.

We provide certified medical personnel and basic medical equipment to accompany these patients on board commercial airline flights.

We will also coordinate ground support at all stops and when changing airplanes.

Commercial Airline Stretcher

Commercial Stretcher Service is most needed when a US citizen becomes ill in a foreign country, or a foreigner needs to be repatriated.

However, Commercial Stretcher Service is ONLY available on international flights via a few selected commercial airline companies.

We furnish a dedicated section on the commercial airplane, such as a Boeing 747, to have the patient on a stretcher with our medical crew and medical equipment.

The patient will be isolated from the rest of the passengers on board. We will assign the crew based on the illness and the needs of the patient.

Advanced Air Ambulance

Advanced Air Ambulance, Corp. is a highly dedicated, experienced and reliable air ambulance company. Advanced Air Ambulance, Corp., provides a large fleet of fixed-wing dedicated air ambulance aircraft that are fully equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and medical staff.

At Advanced Air Ambulance, Corp., we are at your disposal, 24 hours a day, to accommodate all your air ambulance needs to the maximum level of safety , comfort and efficiency.

European Air Ambulance - Double Stretcher in Air Ambulance

EAA has at its disposal full double stretcher Air Ambulance aircraft able to transport 1 intensive care and 1 lying patient or 2 lying patients
The repatriation of two patients on a double stretcher can be cheaper than two stretchers on a scheduled aircraft and it is definitively faster and more convenient.

Medical Personnel

AMBUSTAT AIR AMBULANCE
Prior to each air ambulance transfer, a medical briefing is obtained from the medical facility at which the patient is being cared for. With this briefing, the medical team will receive all the doctor's orders and maintain them throughout the transfer. They will determine the medical personnel, specific medical equipment, medicines, either oral or IV and any other medical supplies required. Each patient will receive the best care available for a safe and comfortable flight.

Depending on the patient’s medical condition, the air ambulance staff may include:
- Registered Nurses
- Paramedics
- Respiratory Therapists
- Neonatal and Pediatric Nurses
- Physicians

Ambustat Air Ambulance can make arrangements for three different levels of medical treatment:

Critical Care - Highest level of care required. Specially trained doctors and nurses accompany the patient on board the aircraft, maintaining constant medical services for the critically ailing patient.

Advanced Life Support - This medical care is for the serious but not critical patient. The medical crew provides constant monitoring on board and has the capabilities of establishing and maintaining respiratory airways and performing cardiac defibrillation and other cardiac procedures.

Basic Life Support - Capable of handling medical emergencies on board, however, this care is for the patient requiring minimal support. The medical crew provides constant monitoring on board the aircraft.

Professional Air Ambulance Services - AmbuStat Air Ambulance Company

AMBUSTAT AIR AMBULANCE COMPANY
AmbuStat Air Ambulance arranges a wide variety of services, from basic life support to ACLS and ventilator dependent patients. All arrangements will include: all necessary medical equipment, each aircraft is staffed with a medical team specializing and trained for in-flight emergency and critical care needs.
AmbuStat Air Ambulance arranges transportation for the relocation of patients requiring specialized medical procedures including: cancer treatment, specialized cardiac surgery, stroke care, advanced head and spinal cord injuries, post surgery and much more. Air ambulance transports are also used for the repatriation of patients who are injured or become ill while traveling. No medical problem is too big or too small. Our goal is to arrange for every patient to be transported with the most professional care available.
An AmbuStat representative answers each phone call 24 hours a day. When the health of a patient or family member is important, don't waste time with answering services and voice mails. We assume that every phone call is important and time sensitive. We stand by our strong belief in "professional patient care".

Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems

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The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) (pronounced cames), is an independent, non-profit agency which audits and accredits fixed-wing and rotary wing air medical transport services as well as ground inter-facility critical care services in the U.S. to a set of industry-established criteria. CAMTS has accredited 132 medical transport programs in the U.S. as of June, 2007 as well as three in Canada and one in South Africa.[1

Background

CAMTS first enacted its Accreditation Standards in 1991, which were developed by its member organizations as well as with extensive public comment and input.[2] The Standards are the core element to the CAMTS program, which delares that the highest priorities for medical transport services companies are "patient care and safety of the transport environment".[3] CAMTS accreditation, once granted, lasts for three years, at which time it can be renewed by being reaudited. Preparation for initial accreditation generally takes from four to six months,[4], as the process examines all aspects of operations, from management to medical protocols to flight operations.

CAMTS' member organizations

CAMTS is an "organization of organizations"[5] composed of fourteen member organizations, each of which has representation on the Commission's board of directors. The member organizations are:

* Aerospace Medical Association
* Air Medical Physicians Association
* American Academy of Pediatrics
* American Association of Respiratory Care
* American College of Emergency Physicians
* Association of Air Medical Services
* International Association of Flight Paramedics
* National Air Transportation Association
* National Association of Air Medical Communications Specialists
* National Association of State EMS Directors
* National EMS Pilots Association
* Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association

Requirement for accreditation

While in principle CAMTS accreditation is voluntary, a number of government jurisdictions require companies providing medical transportation services to have CAMTS accreditation in order to be licensed to operate. This is an increasing trend as state health services agencies address the issues surrounding the safety of emergency medical services flights.[6] Some examples are the states of Colorado,[7] New Jersey,[8] New Mexico,[9] Utah,[10], Michigan and Washington.[11] According to the rationale used to justify Washington's adopting the accreditation requirements, "Requiring accreditation of air ambulance services provides assurance that the service meets national public safety standards. The accreditation is done by professionals who are qualified to determine air ambulance safety. In addition, compliance with accreditation standards is done on a continual basis by the accrediting organization. Their accreditation standards are periodically revised to reflect the dynamic, changing environment of medical transport with considerable input from all disciplines of the medical profession."[4]

Other states require either CAMTS accreditation or a demonstrated equivalent, such as Rhode Island[12] and Texas, which has adopted CAMTS' Accreditation Standards (Sixth Edition, October 2004) as its own. In Texas, an operator not wishing to become CAMTS accredited must submit to an equivalent survey by state auditors who are CAMTS-trained.[13][14] Virginia, Arizona, Missouri, and Oklahoma have also adopted CAMTS accreditation standards as their state licensing standards.[6]

Safety of emergency medical services flights

The safety of emergency medical services flights has become a topic of public interest in the United States, with the expansion of emergency medical services aviation operations, such as air ambulance and MEDEVAC, and the increasing frequency of related accidents.

Emergency medical services (EMS) aviation operations (conducted with either helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft) provide an important service to the public by transporting seriously ill patients or donor organs to emergency care facilities. The pressure to safely and quickly conduct these operations in various environmental conditions (for example, inclement weather, at night, and unfamiliar landing sites for helicopter operations) makes EMS operations inherently dangerous, and the hazards associated with EMS operations are resulting in an increasing number of accidents. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted a special investigation and issued a report on January 25, 2006 titled: "Special Investigation Report on Emergency Medical Services Operations". The report was not intended to burden operators with undue requirements or to handicap this vital function in any way; rather the purpose of the report was to identify and recommend operational strategies and technologies that will help ensure that these vital EMS flights arrive safely and continue to provide a valuable service to the public.

Between January 2002 and January 2005, 55 EMS aircraft accidents occurred in the United States1 (this number of EMS accidents had not been seen since the 1980s)2 these accidents resulted in 54 fatalities and 18 serious injuries (see appendix B of the report for more information). Although the number of flight hours flown by EMS helicopter operations in the United States has increased from about 162,000 in 1991 to an estimated 300,000 in 2005,3 the average accident rate has also increased from 3.53 accidents per 100,000 flight hours between 1992 and 2001 to 4.56 accidents per 100,000 flight hours between 1997 and 2001.4 As a result, the National Transportation Safety Board initiated a special investigation of these 55 accidents and identified the following recurring safety issues:

* less stringent requirements for EMS operations conducted without patients on board,
* a lack of aviation flight risk evaluation programs for EMS operations,
* a lack of consistent, comprehensive flight dispatch procedures for EMS operations, and
* no requirements to use technologies such as terrain awareness and warning systems (TAWS) to enhance EMS flight safety.

Air Ambulances in the United States

Air Ambulances in the United States
Contents
[hide]

* 1 List of air ambulances
o 1.1 A
o 1.2 B
o 1.3 C
o 1.4 D
o 1.5 E
o 1.6 F
o 1.7 G
o 1.8 H
o 1.9 I
o 1.10 J
o 1.11 K
o 1.12 L
o 1.13 M
o 1.14 N
o 1.15 O
o 1.16 P
o 1.17 Q
o 1.18 R
o 1.19 S
o 1.20 T
o 1.21 U
o 1.22 V
* 2 Incidents
* 3 References
* 4 See also
* 5 External links

List of air ambulances

The following is a list of Air Ambulances and Air Ambulance Brokers (indicated with a {b}) in the United States and the area they cover where that is not obvious from the title:

A

* Acadian Ambulance & Air Med Services - Headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana,covers most of the state of Louisiana and parts of western Mississippi, Acadian Ambulance maintains a fleet of more than 200 ground ambulances, as well as eight medical transport helicopters and five fixed-wing aircraft that provide aerial transport to medical facilities.
* Advanced Air Ambulance(broker) - South Florida
* AeroCare - worldwide, based in Aurora Municipal Airport, Sugar Grove, IL 60554
* Aero Med Express Air Ambulance Service -Rogers, Arkansas

* Aeromed - Tampa General Hospital, Florida
* Aeromedevac, Inc. - San Diego, California
* Air Angels [1] - Clow International Airport, Bolingbrook, Illinois and Dupage Airport in West Chicago, Illinois - Ceased operations as of Feb. 2009.
* Air Ambulance America LLC(broker) - Based in Miami, Florida,
* Air Ambulance Professionals(broker) - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
* Air Ambulance Service - Providing Worldwide Professional air ambulance service. South Florida Based
* Air Ambulance Worldwide Worldwide Emergency Air Ambulance Service
* AirCare - The aeromedical critical care transport service of the North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, MN, a Level 1 Trauma Center located in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Operates five flight bases throughout the state.
* AirCare - The aeromedical critical care transport service of the University of Mississippi Medical Center
* Air Care Lifeflight Systems Air Ambulance Service - Banner Elk, North Carolina
* Air Charity Network - Comprising all of the independent charity organizations that arrange free air ambulance flights for those patients and families in need.
* AirMed El Paso - Long Distance Critical Care - Flying Only Jets - Long Distance Transport Service, Headquartered in El Paso Texas, Covers the entire Western Hemisphere. [2]
* Air Evac provides services across Arizona. Mainly a helicopter user, Air Evac also uses a handful of small airplanes for emergencies
* Air-Evac Lifeteam [3] - operated by Air Evac EMS, Inc., is the largest independently owned and operated membership-supported air medical service in the United States, conducting its operations through more than 89 mutually-supporting air medical bases across 14 states such as Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. Air-Evac Lifeteam operates more than 100 medically-equipped Bell 206 Long Ranger helicopters and is headquartered in West Plains, MO.
* Air Life of Oregon

An Airlift Northwest Crew receives a patient transfer from the United States Coast Guard

* Airlift Northwest - Based in Seattle, WA.
* Air Methods - Largest US air ambulance operator. The Community Air Ambulance Division with 100 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft based at hospitals, fire stations or airports, and the Hospital Air Ambulance division provides air medical transportation services to nearly 80 hospitals in 33 states and operates a fleet of more than 200 hospital-based aircraft. Generally the hospital owns the program and provides the medical personnel and communications functions, while Air Methods provides aircraft operation and maintenance.[1] Rocky Mountain Holdings, LLC (RMH), Mercy Air Service, Inc. (Mercy Air), LifeNet, Inc. (LifeNet) and CJ Systems Aviation Group operate as wholly-owned subsidiaries of Air Methods.[2]
o ARCH Air Medical Service Missouri, Illinois, and the surrounding regions. Service area is 150 miles around each base; Downtown, St. Louis, Chesterfield, Cape Girardeau, Warrenton, and Sullivan, Missouri; Sparta, Litchfield, and Effingham, Illinois. Plus AirLife in Urbana, Illinois, and MedFlight I in Joplin, Missouri, and MedFlight II in Parsons, Kansas.
o San Antonio AirLIFE, serves a 150 mile radius of San Antonio in South Texas.
* AirMD - Provides critical care transport services, worldwide medical air escort, and aircraft charters. Includes details of costs and services. Florida.
* Air Trek Air Ambulance - www.medjets.com - Based in Florida.
* American Care Air Ambulance - Fixed-wing, worldwide medical transportation services. Based in San Diego, California.
* American Jets air ambulance - is the leader in worldwide air ambulance service. With over 20 years of experience, American Jets continues to set the emergency medical transport standards for the 21st century. Our flying intensive care units respond to emergencies around the globe, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Based in Fort Pierce, Florida.
* Angel Flight - A nonprofit charity air medical transportation organization serving needy people and their families. Provides access to specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.
* Angel MedFlight - Worldwide Air Medical Transportation Organization with its' corporate headquarters located in Scottsdale Arizona at the Scottsdale Airport. Angel MedFlight's expertise extends beyond air medical transportation. Angel MedFlight has "In-House" legal counsel in order to ensure that every client receives the medical benefits of their insurance plan.

B

* Bayflite - Bayfront Medical Center, also associated with St. Joseph's Hospital and All Children's Hospital. St. Petersburg Florida.
* Boston MedFlight Critical Care Transport Helicopter

C
An MD Helicopters MD Explorer operated by CALSTAR

* Cal-Ore Life Flights - California, Oregon and Washington.
* CALSTAR - based in McClellan Park in Sacramento California , CALSTAR operates BO105, Bell 222, Agusta 109, and MD 902 Explorer helicopters (CALSTARs 1-10) and two Cessna 421 light aircraft.
* CareFlite - based in Grand Prairie, TX operates within a 150 mile radius of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex with four Agusta 109 helicopters, two Bell 222 helicopters, and a fixed wing King Air 90. A fifth Agusta 109 is scheduled for delivery in 2010. CareFlite
* Care Flight - based in Dayton, Ohio at Miami Valley Hospital and operates three air abulances. Care Flight Team
* Critical Air Medicine - Doing business as Critical Air, is based in San Diego, California and provides both fixed wing and helicopter air ambulance service nationwide. The Texas-based rotor-wing operations division, Texas LifeStar, was sold to Air Evac Lifeteam.

D

* Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team - northern New England. Based in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

E

* Emergency Airlift - Air ambulance service headquartered at the Florence, Oregon Municipal airport.

F

* Flight for Life - many bases of operation across the United States

G

* Guardian LifeFlight

H
Hermann Life Flight

* HALO-Flight - Based in Corpus Christi covers 26 counties, 28,000 square miles and a population of over one-million in South Texas.
* Hermann Life Flight (aka Memorial Hermann Life Flight) - Hospital based in Houston Tx

I

J

* Jet I.C.U - A dedicated, FAA licensed, international air ambulance operator. Specifically dedicated to air medical transport of critical care patients, JET I.C.U. has its own fleet of ICU equipped Learjets, in-house flight and medical crews. JET I.C.U. is not a broker and does not outsource.Tampa, Florida

K

L
Lifestar (EC-145)

* Life Air Rescue, the only CAMTS certified program in Louisiana, based in Shreveport, Louisiana.
* Life Flight (US)
* Life Force - 4-state region surrounding Erlanger Medical Center, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
* Lifeguard Aeromed, Inc. - Providing air ambulance service to North America. Based in Fort Worth, TX.
* LifeNet, Inc - Based in Texarkana, Texas with operations also out of Hot Springs, Arkansas, LifeNet, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation providing ground and air ambulance services throughout Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas. The ground ambulance program serves the residents of Bowie , Cass and Red River counties in Texas , as well as Texarkana. In Arkansas, ambulance coverage is provided in Garland, Miller, and Little River counties. LifeNet’s air program started in 1983 as St. Michael's AirLife, its aircraft have flown more than 9,000 accident-free medical missions. The flight program employs a Bell 407 helicopter, which has the potential to travel at speeds up to 165 miles per hour in its primary service area of Texarkana ( Southwest Arkansas and Northeast Texas ) and the surrounding counties.
* LifeNet in the Heartland - Provides services in Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas.
* LifeNet Key West operates a Eurocopter EC-135 P2+ and serves the Conch Republic.
* Life Net of New York (LNNY) - bases in Albany, Fultonville, Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, Wallkill, and Harris New Tork.
* LifeStar Air Medical Services of Emergycare - operates one LifeStar (Eurocopter EC 145) helicopter, out of Harborcreek Township, Pennsylvania
* Lifeteam - Based in Newton, KS and operates two fixed wing aircraft, three helicopters and two ambulances throughout Kansas with bases in Wichita, Emporia, Hutchinson, Great Bend, Dodge City and Liberal.

M

* Medcenter Air- The largest air ambulance in North Carolina. Medcenter Air has been operating since 1996. Providing helicopter transports regionally and fixed-wing flights in North America, Central America and South America. CAMTS certified. ARGUS Platinum rated. Currently operating 4 bell helicopters, 2 Citations C560's and 2 King Air BE200's. www.medcenterair.com

Mercy Air 2

* Maryland State Police - MPS Aviation Command operates a large aviation division focusing on medevac operations. Aviation also supports ground units of the state and local police. Funding comes from vehicle registration fees. [3] The Command operates 3 types of Aircraft[4]: 12 Eurocopter Dauphin (nine SA.365N-1 Dauphin, two AS 365N-2 Dauphin and one AS 365N-3) and two light aircraft (one Beechcraft B300 King Air 350 and one Cessna P210N Pressurised Centurion). The aviation command was instrumental in the support of the first trauma center in the USA, the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore[5]. Trooper 2 based at Andrews Air Force Base was the busiest medevac helicopter in the nation before its crash.
* Medflight International - Provides fixed wing, international and domestic, critical care and medical air transport services. Based in Houston, Texas.
* Medway Air Ambulance - global
* Mercy Flights - Mercy Flights was established in 1949 by George Milligan, a Medford, Oregon Air Traffic Controller who founded the service after losing a friend to polio. Mercy Flights has grown from grass root beginnings to a leader in medical transportation. Mercy Flights has flown more than 15,000 patients throughout the western United States. Mercy Flights' ground ambulance service currently serves more than 18,000 patients each year.

N

* National Air Ambulance - Medevac flights, ACLS certified, complete bed to bed services to North and South America, Caribbean, Canada, Europe. Located at Ft. Lauderdale's International Airport.

O

* OSF Aviation (Life Flight) - Operates 2 Bell 230 aircraft based in Peoria, IL.

P

* PennSTAR
* LifeMed Alaska - Anchorage, Alaska.

Q

R

* REACH Mediplane Air Ambulance Service - Santa Rosa, CA
* Rescue 7 - operated by the Southeast Mississippi Air Ambulance District and based at Forrest General Hospital.

S

* Sanford-University of South Dakota (USD) Medical Center - Operates 1 Bell 230 EMS helicopter based in Sioux Falls, SD along with two Beechcraft airplanes.
* Schaefer Air Service of Schaefer Ambulance Service California
* Summit Aviation - Medical Transport Div based in Van Nuys, CA
* Survival Flight - operated by the University of Michigan Health System, based in Ann Arbor, MI. Operates 3 rotary-wing and 1 fixed-wing craft, serving Michigan and states/provinces within a 200-nautical mile radius (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and the Canadian province of Ontario).
* Stat Medevac - based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and operates 18 helicopters callsigns MedEvac 1 thru 18. STAT MedEvac is a Direct Air Carrier E3MA774L and arranges and coordinates the operation of air ambulance services. All flights are operated by STAT MedEvac.

T
Traumahawk 3

* Traumahawk Palm Beach County Florida
* Travel Care International, Inc. - Specializes in emergency and non-emergency air ambulance services worldwide. based in Wisconsin.
* Texas LifeStar

U

* UMASS LifeFlight Critical Care Transport Helicopter operated by the University of Massachusetts Hospital in Worcester, MA

V

* Valley Flight For Life - Helicopter ambulance service to areas in Nevada, Utah, California, and Arizona.

Incidents

Air Methods had, after the 2006 Mercy Air helicopter accident, a total of 19 accidents leading to the deaths of 21 people nationwide according to the National Transportation Safety Board's records.[6] Air Methods companies had three other fatal accidents, in a 10 year period. On September 7, 2002, three crew members died when a Mercy Air helicopter based in Nevada crashed in Nipton, California after the main rotor blades separated while maneuvering in flight after dark.[6] In January 2005, an Air Methods helicopter crashed in Washington, D.C. with two dead and one injured, and another crashed in Mississippi killing one.[7] Craig Yale, the vice president of corporate development for Air Methods, stated in a news conference shortly after the accident that, "We fly over 100,000 hours a year, 85,000 missions a year, and in doing so have had very few fatal accidents over a 10-year period."[6]

On June 29, 2008, a Bell 407 medical helicopter operated by Air Methods collided with another medical helicopter in Arizona, killing six of the seven aboard both aircraft. Another Air Methods helicopter crashed in May in Wisconsin soon after taking off; three people were killed in that accident: the pilot, flight doctor and flight nurse.[8]

On September 28, 2008, at approximately 12:30am, Maryland State Police Trooper 2 (Eurocopter AS 365N1 Dauphin, N92MD) disappeared from radar and crashed with five people aboard in Walker Mill Regional Park in Prince George's County.[9] There were four confirmed fatalities, which included Pilot Stephen Bunker, TFC Mickey Lippy, EMT Tonya Mallard (Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department), and one of the two patients on board. This resulted in the grounding of all aircraft, until the cause is determined, with allied agencies covering the state.[10] This is the fourth fatal crash in the history of the MSP Aviation Division. The most recent crash prior to this occurred on January 19, 1986.

References

1. ^ Air Methods website
2. ^ "Who We Are - Air Methods". http://www.airmethods.com/content/index.cfm?fuseaction=showContent&contentID=2&navID=2. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
3. ^ Maryland State Police Aviation Command
4. ^ US civil aircraft register searches using "Maryland State Police" and "Maryland Department of State Police" as the Owner Name search parameters. Searches conducted 2007-10-31.
5. ^ History of Shock Trauma at the UMM
6. ^ a b c Garcia, Ana (2006-12-21). "Fatal Crash Raises Air Ambulance Safety Concerns". KNBC-TV News (Los Angeles). http://www.knbc.com/news/10581778/detail.html. "The Air Methods companies have had 19 crashes leading to the deaths of 21 people nationwide according to the National Transportation Safety Board."
7. ^ Gang, Duane W.; Lisa O'Neill-Hill and Paul LaRocco (2006-12-12). "Helicopters grounded : The number of crashes has increased in recent years, a federal study finds.". Press-Enterprise. http://www.pe.com/localnews/rialto/stories/PE_News_Local_D_mercy12.3a9de9c.html#pop. "The pilot, nurse and paramedic of an air ambulance that crashed Sunday night in a foggy, hilly area near the summit of the Cajon Pass were an experienced crew, company officials and colleagues said Monday."
8. ^ "Air Methods stock down after crash". Denver Business Journal. 2008-06-30. http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2008/06/30/daily1.html?ana=from_rss. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
9. ^ Four Fatalities in State Police Medevac crash in Prince Georges County
10. ^ Helicopter accident kills 4. The Daily Times Retrieved September 28, 2008.

http://www.officer.com/web/online/Technology/MSP-Aviation-Loses-Trooper-2/20$43744
See also

* Medical escort
* Police Aviation in United States
* International SOS, Provider of air ambulance evacuation & repatriation services
* Air Ambulances in the United Kingdom
* UK Emergency Aviation
* Medical evacuation

Air Ambulances in the United Kingdom

There are a number of air ambulance services in the United Kingdom using either helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. Thirty helicopters, all operated by charitable organizations, cover England and Wales. Two helicopters and fixed wing aircraft are operated by the Scottish Ambulance Service.[1] Funds are currently being sought to enable a similar service to be operated in Ireland and Northern Ireland.[2]

Incidents
Scottish Ambulance Service EC-135 G-SASA

On 26 July 1998, the three man crew of the Kent Air Ambulance died when the aircraft collided with power lines and crashed in a field in Burham, near Rochester airport.[3][4] Initial investigation established no definitive cause for the crash, due to the fireball produced on impact. Controversy ensued when the pilot's employers, Police Aviation Services, denied liability. On 19 February 2004, following a civil case brought by the pilot's widow to the High Court in Manchester, it ruled that the crash was caused by mechanical failure, not as suggested flying low for fun, and ordered compensation to be paid.[5]

On 15 March 2005, a Britten-Norman Islander aircraft operated by Loganair crashed into the sea while descending toward Campbeltown Airport in western Scotland. The aircraft was operating an air ambulance flight on behalf of the Scottish Ambulance Service. The pilot and paramedic both died in the crash.[6]

List of Air Ambulances in the United Kingdom
Service Areas served Radio call-sign Aircraft Photo
Cornwall Air Ambulance Cornwall Helimed 1 EC 135 [1]
Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance Derbyshire - Leicestershire - Rutland Helimed 54 A109E [2]
Devon Air Ambulance Trust Devon Helimed 4
Helimed 72 2 x EC 135 [3]
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Dorset - Somerset Helimed 10 EC 135 [4]
East Anglian Air Ambulance Bedfordshire - Cambridgeshire - Norfolk - Suffolk Anglia 1
Anglia 2 2 x BK-117 [5]
Essex Air Ambulance Essex Helimed 7 EC 135 [6]
Great North Air Ambulance Cumbria - Tees Valley - Durham - Northumberland - North Yorkshire - Tyne and Wear Helimed 20
Helimed 58
Helimed 63 BK-105
AS-365
MD-900 [7]
Great Western Air Ambulance Bristol - Gloucestershire - Avon - North Somerset - Wiltshire Helimed 65 EC-135 [8]
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Hampshire - Isle of Wight Helimed 56 BK-105 [9]
Hertfordshire Air Ambulance Hertfordshire Helimed 55 MD-900 [10]
Ireland Air Ambulance
(due to commence Summer 2009) Republic of Ireland - Northern Ireland
Kent Air Ambulance Kent Helimed 21 MD-900 [11]
Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance Lincolnshire - Nottinghamshire Helimed 59 MD-900 [12]
London Air Ambulance (HEMS) London Helimed 27 MD-900 [13]
Midlands Air Ambulance Herefordshire - Shropshire - Staffordshire - West Midlands - Worcestershire Helimed 3
Helimed 6
Helimed 9 3 x EC 135 [14]
North West Air Ambulance Cheshire - Cumbria - Lancashire - Greater Manchester - Merseyside Helimed 8 EC-135 [15]
Scottish Air Ambulance Scotland Helimed 2
Helimed 5
Gama xxx
Gama xxx 2 x EC-135
2 x 200C [16]
[17]
Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance East Sussex - Surrey - West Sussex Helimed 60 MD-900 [18]
Sussex Police Air Operations Unit East Sussex - West Sussex Hotel 900 MD-902 [19]
Thames Valley Air Ambulance Berkshire - Buckinghamshire - Oxfordshire Helimed 24 EC 135 [20]
Wales Air Ambulance Wales Helimed 57
Helimed 59
Helimed 61 1 x EC 135
2 x BK-105 [21]
Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance Warwickshire - Northamptonshire Helimed 53 A109E [22]
Wiltshire Air Ambulance Wiltshire Whisky Hotel 99 MD-902 [23]
Yorkshire Air Ambulance East Riding of Yorkshire - North Yorkshire - South Yorkshire - West Yorkshire Helimed 98
Helimed 99 2 x MD-900 [24]

Emergency Medical Retrieval Service

The Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS), is an airborne medical initiative operating in the West of Scotland. It provides patients in remote and rural areas with rapid access to the skills of a consultant in emergency or intensive care medicine as well as facilitating transfers to larger, better equipped city hospitals. The team respond to calls 24 hours a day by helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft[1].

Formation

The EMRS was formed in 2004 after a consultation between NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the Scottish Government Health Department and the Scottish Ambulance Service[2]. The EMRS initially operated only in the Argyll and Clyde area. The success of the service saw its operating zone expanded throughout the West coast of Scotland from Stranraer in the South to Stornoway in the North[3].

Resources

The EMRS utilises aircraft from the Scottish Ambulance Service's Air Wing and the Royal Navy's Search & Rescue helicopters from HMS Gannet at Prestwick Airport, the team responds to seriously ill and injured patients that require early critical care interventions and quick transfer to a better equipped, urban hospital[4].

Background

Unlike air ambulance services in other parts of the UK, the EMRS is fully funded by the Scottish Parliament, with such funding secured until at least the end of 2010.

context

Many other countries with large populations in rural or inaccessible areas have developed similar schemes. For example, the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia operates on very similar lines to the EMRS. New Zealand and Canada have also developed similar patient retrieval services in support of their rural health care practitioners.

During 2008, the team was occasionaly filmed in action as part of the popular Channel 5 documentary series Highland Emergency.

See also

* NHS Scotland
* NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
* Scottish Ambulance Service
* Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom
* Air ambulance
* Air Ambulances in the United Kingdom

Emergency medical services

Emergency medical services (abbreviated to the initialism "EMS" in some countries) are a branch of emergency services dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency.[1]

Emergency medical services may also be locally known as: first aid squad,[2] emergency squad,[3] rescue squad,[4] ambulance squad,[5] ambulance service,[6] ambulance corps[7] or life squad.[8]

The goal of most emergency medical services is to either provide treatment to those in need of urgent medical care, with the goal of satisfactorily treating the malady, or arranging for timely removal of the patient to the next point of definitive care. This is most likely an emergency department at a hospital or another place where physicians are available. The term Emergency Medical Service evolved to reflect a change from a simple transportation system (ambulance service) to a system in which actual medical care occurred in addition to transportation. In some developing regions, the term is not used, or may be used inaccurately, since the service in question does not provide treatment to the patients, but only the provision of transport to the point of care.[9]

In most places in the world, the EMS is summoned by members of the public (or other emergency services, businesses or authority) via an emergency telephone number which puts them in contact with a control facility, which will then dispatch a suitable resource to deal with the situation.[10]

In some parts of the world, the term EMS also encompasses services developed to move patients from one medical facility to an alternative one; inferring transfer to a higher level of care. In such services, the EMS is not summoned by members of the public but by clinical professionals (eg. physicians or nurses) in the referring facility. Specialized hospitals that provide higher levels of care may include services such as neonatal intensive care (NICU),[11], pediatric intensive care (PICU), state regional burn centers,[12] specialized care for spinal injury and/or neurosurgery,[13] regional stroke centers,[14] specialized cardiac care[15][16] (cardiac catherization[17]), and specialized/regional trauma care.[18]

In some jurisdictions, EMS units may handle technical rescue operations such as extrication, water rescue, and search and rescue.[19] Training and qualification levels for members and employees of emergency medical services vary widely throughout the world. In some systems, members may be present who are qualified only to drive the ambulance, with no medical training.[9] In contrast, most systems have personnel who retain at least basic first aid certifications, such as Basic Life Support (BLS). Additionally many EMS systems are staffed with Advanced Life Support (ALS) personnel, including paramedics, nurses, or, less commonly, physicians.[20]

Golden hour (medicine)

In emergency medicine, the golden hour refers to a time period lasting from a few minutes to several hours following traumatic injury being sustained by a casualty, during which there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical treatment will prevent death.[1] It is well established that the victim's chances of survival are greatest if they receive care within a short period of time after a severe injury. Some have come to use the term to refer to the core principle of rapid intervention in trauma cases, rather than the narrow meaning of a critical one-hour time period.

General concept

In cases of severe trauma, especially internal bleeding, nothing can replace surgical intervention.[citation needed] Complications such as shock may occur if the patient is not managed appropriately and expeditiously. It therefore becomes a priority to transport patients suffering from severe trauma as fast as possible to specialists, most often found at a hospital trauma center, for definitive treatment. Because some injuries can cause a trauma patient to decompensate extremely rapidly, the lag time between injury and treatment should ideally be kept to a bare minimum; over time, this lag time has come to be specified as a now-standard time frame of no more than 60 minutes, after which time the survival rate for traumatic patients is alleged to fall off dramatically.

Origins of the term

The late Dr. R Adams Cowley is credited with promoting this concept, first in his capacity as a military surgeon and later as head of the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.[2][3] The concept of the "Golden Hour" may have been derived from French military World War I data.[4] The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center section of the University of Maryland Medical Center's website quotes Cowley as saying, "There is a golden hour between life and death. If you are critically injured you have less than 60 minutes to survive. You might not die right then; it may be three days or two weeks later -- but something has happened in your body that is irreparable."[3]
Controversy

While most medical professionals agree that delays in definitive care are undesirable, recent peer reviewed literature casts doubt on the validity of the 'golden hour' as it appears to lack a scientific basis. Dr. Bryan Bledsoe, an outspoken critic of the golden hour and other EMS "myths" like critical incident stress management, has indicated that the peer reviewed medical literature does not demonstrate any "magical time" for saving critical patients.[5]

In fiction

Medical escort

Medical escort is a non-emergency medical service provided by air ambulance, medical escort companies and at times self employed Medical escort freelancers, which typically work for a Medical Company.

Cost effectiveness comes from using Commercial aircrafts first and business class chairs, but on some occasions an airline stretcher will be used if that patient is unable to sit up for landing and take off. Several rows of seating in the back of the plane allow for a medical stretcher to do a non-emergency medical transport. Medical escort crews are supplied with equipment that enables them to provide medical treatment to a non emergency patient. Common equipment for Medical escort services includes basic medication, monitoring unit, and CPR equipment

Some programs provide the full spectrum of medical professionals, including certified paramedics, critical care nurses, Respiratory Therapists and physicians. Receiving physicians consult with the referring physician to jointly determine the most appropriate level of care and transportation.

MEDEVAC

Medical evacuation, often termed MEDEVAC or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using medically equipped ground vehicles (ambulances) or aircraft (air ambulances). Examples include civilian EMT vehicles, civilian aeromedical helicopter services, and Army air ambulances. This term also covers the transfer of patients from the battlefield to a treatment facility or from one treatment facility to another by medical personnel, such as from a Navy ship to a shore-based Naval hospital.

The term medevac is commonly applied to a vehicle, fixed-wing aircraft, or helicopter used as an ambulance (sometimes called an "air ambulance"). This permits the rapid transport of seriously injured persons, particularly trauma patients, from the scene of the accident to the hospital. News accounts of such transportation often use the terms 'airlifted' or 'LifeFlighted', although medevac is a common term used by civilians as well. Most patients transported by medevac are taken to a specialized hospital known as a trauma center. Medevac can be misconstrued, as it may not clarify as to whether ground or air assets are being utilized, and therefore it is best to make it clear during planning and communication.[citation needed]

The technique has its roots in the establishment of the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service, which was established in 1928 to bring doctors to patients and patients to hospitals from the remote outback. Inevitably, the immense military potential of the practice was realized with the development of the helicopter.[citation needed]

The U.S. Army pioneered this lifesaving technique in Burma toward the end of World War II.[citation needed] They established semi-permanent field hospitals immediately behind the front lines, which allowed wounded soldiers to receive complete medical treatment after only a short helicopter flight. The technique was depicted in the M*A*S*H film and television series.

In modern American military terminology, medevac is often differentiated from Casualty Evacuation (casevac). In this context, medevac refers to the moving of a patient either from the point of injury, or a casualty collection point, to a medical facility or between the different levels of care with en route medical care whereas casevac has limited or no en route care and medical equipment.[citation needed]

Casevac is heavily utilized by the US Marine Corps and manned by US Navy Hospital Corpsman; its helicopters are combat aircraft and will, as needed, land in 'hot zones' medevac helicopters would not, due to hostile fire. Accordingly, medevac aircraft are normally modified aircraft with lifesaving equipment on board as well as trained medical personnel as part of the aircrew. The aircraft are marked with the Red Cross/Crescent, and as such, covered by the Geneva Convention, thereby allowing the aircrew to only carry personal weapons. In the US Military, the medevac mission is performed primarily by the US Army.[citation needed]

In Australian military terminology, a medevac refers to the evacuation of an entire section for medical reasons while a casevac refers to the evacuation of a small number of troops, usually just one.[citation needed]

The phrase 'Aeromedical evacuation' or AEROVAC is also used to refer to transportation of medical cases from one medical facility to another with a higher level of care, a particular skill set or in the case of combat to a safer environment, with the capability for sophisticated en route care (ventilators, etc). In the US Military, this is done primarily by the US Air Force to move patients out of the combat theater aboard fixed wing aircraft.[citation needed]

The first civilian medevac in the United States was performed by the Maryland State Police Aviation Command on March 19, 1970.[1][2][3] Private medevac flights are also frequently used to air-lift seriously ill or injured travelers out of remote rural areas or from countries with inadequate or non-existent medical facilities.

Air ambulance

Military

As with many innovations in Emergency Medical Service (EMS) the concept of transporting the injured by aircraft has its origins in the military. Air medical transport likely first occurred in 1870 during the Siege of Paris when 160 wounded French soldiers were transported by hot-air balloon to France.[1] The concept of using aircraft as ambulances is almost as old as powered flight itself. During the First World War air ambulances were tested by various military organizations. Aircraft were still primitive, with limited capabilities, and received mixed reviews. The exploration of the idea continued however, and by 1936, an organized military air ambulance service was evacuating wounded from the Spanish Civil War for medical treatment in Nazi Germany. The first dedicated use of helicopters by U.S. forces occurred during the Korean War during the period from 1950-1953. While popularly depicted as simply removing casualties from the battlefield (which they did) the use of helicopters also stretched to moving critical patients to more advanced hospital ships, once initial emergency treatment in field hospitals had occurred. The knowledge and expertise at the use of aircraft as ambulances continued to evolve, and by 1969, in Vietnam, the use of specially trained medical corpsmen and helicopters as ambulances led U.S. researchers to conclude that servicemen wounded in battle had better rates of survival than motorists injured on California freeways, and inspired the first experiments with the use of civilian paramedics in the world.[2] The use of military aircraft as battlefield ambulances continues to grow and develop today in a variety of countries, as does the use of fixed wing aircraft for long distance travel, including repatriation of the wounded.