Tag: medical tools

Just One Call Brings the Air Ambulance

If you or someone you love have been seriously injured or become ill away from home, it is important to return home safely and quickly. Patients recover better and faster when in familiar surroundings and near family. If travel arrangements must be made by air ambulance, then just pick up the phone.

One simple call to an air ambulance service center will get the ball rolling and soon the air ambulance will be on its way to the patient. Operators are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year at most air ambulance service centers. Patients don’t wait until banker’s hours to get hurt or sick, so the air ambulance service industry is always ready to take the call.

The phone call comes into the center and the operator will quickly take down the important details and information needed to begin scheduling the trip. The staff takes the information and processes the rest of the arrangements. There are no other hassles or concerns for the patient or the family.

A medical coordinator at the air ambulance service will begin by looking at the request for air ambulance service information, then call or contact the appropriate hospital, doctor, or medical facility where the patient is currently located. After speaking to someone about the specific details of the case, the medical coordinator gets to work. The medical coordinator has quite a job to do. Not only do they have to keep up on the patient’s condition but also learn about any potential complications that may arise during transit. It is important for the medical coordinator to accurately record any in-flight orders and relay this information to the flight team.

Now that the medical coordinator is informed and briefed on the situation, it is time to notify the flight crew and medical staff. The personnel on board the air ambulance must be highly qualified to care for the patient and the specified needs that may arise during the flight. All pilots and crew members must also be informed about the patient’s medical condition and needs.

Although the air ambulance always has standard medical equipment on board, there are times when specialized medical tools and equipment must be loaded onto the aircraft to monitor and treat the patient appropriately during the flight. Each patient is promised bedside to bedside treatment, so all equipment must be ready and well-maintained in order to jet off to the patient in a moment’s notice.

As the aircraft is checked and ready for flight, the air ambulance service staff is filing flight plans and assessing weather information. Not only is it important to get the plane to the point of origin of the patient, but also to the destination. The goal of the air ambulance service is to transport the patient safely, quickly, and comfortably.

The ground transportation of the patient must also be coordinated. The medical coordinator contacts the appropriate ground transportation crews and informs them of the patient’s circumstances and time of arrival.

All of this intense effort and coordination comes together quickly and efficiently to get the patient to the destination safely and hassle free. It only takes one phone call to get the air ambulance on the way. The rest is up to the air ambulance service.

What is an Air Ambulance?

An air ambulance is an aircraft specifically used for the treatment of a patient who has been seriously injured or is critically ill. An air ambulance is primarily used in emergency situations where transport of the patient by standard land ambulance would not be timely or safe. Another instance where an air ambulance may be used is when a patient must be transported from one location to another and standard, conventional air travel is not feasible.

An air ambulance is looked at as an operating room in the air, or a flying critical care unit. Each air ambulance is specially staffed with an experienced flight crew that is highly trained to fly medical missions. On board the air ambulance aircraft you will find trained pilots and flight crew, as well as, medical staff that can safely care for critically ill or injured patients. The medical staff may be a nurse trained and experienced in CCU care, a qualified doctor capable of treating severe trauma injuries, or a specialized team of doctors and nurses that meet the specific needs of the patient.

Each air ambulance carries with it specialized medical tools and equipment that can handle nearly any emergency that may arise. Some examples of standard equipment found on an air ambulance includes ventilators, ECG equipment, CPR equipment, stretcher, medication, and other important tools that enable the crew to care for the patient.

The medical equipment is properly cleaned and tested before each and every flight. The standards patients expect from their doctor, ER or ICU are carried out inside and onboard the air ambulance.

The plane may vary dramatically depending on its designated mission. Some air ambulances are helicopters. Such aircraft are typically used to transport patients from the scene of an accident to a local hospital in the nearest big city that is equipped to handle the injuries. Choppers are air ambulances that can be used to retrieve patients from remote areas where conventional ambulances are unable to reach.

In other instances, small prop planes or jets are the preferred aircraft for longer trips. Jets are the best aircraft for trips over distances of 500 miles, because such planes allow for less fuel stops and speedier travel times. Like an ambulance on the ground, the goal of an air ambulance is to get the patient to the destination as safely and speedily as possible. Jets are capable of flying at higher altitudes which allow for the greatest comfort and speed.

Patients who may need the use of an air ambulance require constant medical monitoring. Some patients may include cardiac patients, respiratory patients, NICU situations, patients with multiple IV drips, or critical trauma patients.

Any patient with any illness or injury that the doctor deems unsafe to fly by conventional means will be able to get a doctor’s permission to fly in an air ambulance to the desired destination unless very specific medical reasons exist to avoid such methods of transportation. Frequently, travel by air ambulance is deemed safe and can truly save lives.