Aviat Space Envir Md
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Jun 1988
Historical ArticleThe development of the nation's oldest operating civilian hospital-sponsored aeromedical helicopter service.
The Vietnam War heightened civilian awareness as to the use of helicopters for medical evacuations. This led to the initiation of federally funded projects aimed at determining whether helicopters were practical for civilian aeromedical transports. In 1972, a Department of Transportation (DOT) summary concluded that helicopters for civilian medical transports were largely economically prohibitive and provided limited medical benefits in limited locales. ⋯ Anthony Hospital initiated a hospital-based emergency medical helicopter service (HEMS). This paper provides a historical review of the individuals and events responsible for the early success of the nation's longest operating civilian hospital-sponsored helicopter service. The author concludes that the early success of this program was due in part to the selection of an affordable, high altitude, helicopter; rapid response times to the scene of injury; the development of excellent EMS communications systems; the use of specialty trained flight crewmembers; and integration of HEMS into the existing EMS system.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Jun 1988
Long distance transport of cardiac patients in extremis: the mobile intensive care (MOBI) concept.
Critically ill cardiac patients may require transport to distant centers. Their clinical demands often exceed the capabilities of land or air ambulance services. To provide this service, a new, safe, and cost-effective concept for transport of the critically ill was developed. ⋯ Five patients were transported by ground ambulance. All patients survived the transport: no complications were attributed to the transport process. The system is cost effective since slight modification is required in regular ambulance or chartered aircraft to provide the highest level of care.