Air medical journal
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Air medical journal · Mar 2015
ReviewUse of unmanned aerial vehicles for medical product transport.
Advances in technology and decreasing costs have led to an increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by the military and civilian sectors. The use of UAVs in commerce is restricted by US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, but the FAA is drafting new regulations that are expected to expand commercial applications. Currently, the transportation of medical goods in times of critical need is limited to wheeled motor vehicles and manned aircraft, options that can be costly and slow. This article explores the demand for, feasibility of, and risks associated with the use of UAVs to deliver medical products, including blood derivatives and pharmaceuticals, to hospitals, mass casualty scenes, and offshore vessels in times of critical demand.
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Air medical journal · Mar 2015
Preoxygenation reduces desaturation events and improves intubation success.
Oxygen desaturation occurs frequently in the course of prehospital rapid sequence intubation (RSI) and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Preoxygenation with positive pressure ventilation by bag valve mask may delay the onset of desaturation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate implementation of a targeted preoxygenation protocol including the use of positive pressure ventilation on desaturation events and intubation success during air medical RSI. ⋯ A preoxygenation protocol dramatically reduced the incidence of desaturation events and increased intubation success without an increase in the number of reported aspiration events.
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Air medical journal · Mar 2015
Helicopter emergency medical services response times in norway: do they matter?
The main objective of the Norwegian air ambulance service is to provide advanced emergency medicine to critically ill or severely injured patients. The government has defined a time frame of 45 minutes as the goal within which 90% of the population should be reached. The aims of this study were to document accurate flying times for rotor wing units to the scene and to determine the rates of acute primary missions in Norway. ⋯ The government's expectation of serving the entire population via HEMS within 45 minutes appears to be achieved on a national level. However, vast differences remain in the flying times and rates between bases.