A new partnership between US-based Carolinas Health System’s MedCenter Air and Air Ambulance Card will provide air ambulance transports for members who sign up with MedCenter Air.
A team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing in the US has called for new competencies and training for flight nurses, as the number of flights and complexity of cases handled continues to increase.
Rega recently completed a 96-month overhaul of its fleet of Challenger CL604 fixed-wing aircraft, including an update of the onboard medical equipment and new exterior paintwork.
Air Methods Corporation has delivered the first medically equipped Bell 429 helicopter to Mercy One of Des Moines, Iowa, US. Air Methods said its products division is the first in the world to design, engineer, manufacture, and certify a medical interior for the 429.
Tom Curtis, products division vice-president, commented: “We drew on our robust in-house experience in designing, engineering, manufacturing, and certifying helicopter medical interior completions to make this medical interior a reality. We are confident the design will enhance safety and functionality for crew members and patients.”
The Bell 429 medical interior can accommodate a single, dual, or specialty transport and the roll-on, fold-up litter system loads through the rear clamshell doors. Combined with the large cabin, the medical interior design allows for full-body access, and two patients can be carried with both medical attendants at the head of the patient.
The Air Methods Products Division worked with Bell Helicopters to develop and certify a glass cockpit designed specifically for helicopter emergency medical services operations, which the company said is intended to reduce pilot workload and enhance safety. Equipment includes night vision goggle lighting, a helicopter terrain avoidance warning system, satellite weather monitoring, GPS navigation and satellite tracking equipment.
Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is installing new technology on its long and ultralong-haul aircraft that can monitor the condition of passengers who display signs of sickness that might require immediate medical attention.
The Tempus IC system allows users to gather information about a passenger’s health quickly and efficiently. The data covers a wide range of the passenger’s ‘vital signs’, including blood pressure and an electrocardiogram (ECG). It also allows the users to take photo imagery. On Etihad’s units, the information is then to transmitted to emergency care doctors at MedAire’s MedLink Global Response Center. Following the advice from MedLink’s medical staff, the crew will take a decision about what to do next for the passenger and the flight. The device can also be configured to send data to other providers or private hospitals.
Although the device is primarily aimed at users without medical training, such as cabin crew, the makers say it can also be of benefit to medically trained staff, with the potential for use by a medical escort if their patient’s condition deteriorates unexpectedly, or if another passenger on the flight is in need of medical assistance. As a concrete example, RDT cites the case of a male diabetic with high blood pressure, cholesterol and history of heart problems, en route from India to the UK. The passenger complained of a swollen, blistered, right hand and an inability to bend his fingers. The crew used Tempus to take and transmit his vital signs (including pulse, blood pressure and picture of the hand) to the ground-based response centre. Working with MedLink, a doctor who was onboard monitored the patient’s vital signs at hourly intervals. A full 12-lead ECG was taken when the patient began to vomit and complain of stomach pains. This ruled out cardiac problems and allowed the flight to continue and the patient to be monitored for the rest of the flight.
Ninety-nine per cent of all Tempus calls are transmitted into MedLink, where the medical situation is managed by MedLink doctors.
If a medical escort uses the Tempus IC to transmit data to a telemedical provider, who is now responsible for the patient’s care and what weight do the provider’s recommendations carry? Rita Mody, MedAire training manager, explained that when it comes to a decision of whether to divert a flight, any recommendations offered by MedLink are directed to the captain of the aircraft as well as to the escorting medic. If the airline accepts MedLink’s recommendation to divert, the captain still has the final decision.
Paulo M. Alves, MedAire Inc. vice-president of aviation and maritime health, said: “Tempus IC is invaluable when remotely managing a medical situation, because it gives MedAire’s MedLink doctors the clinical-quality data needed to make a better diagnostic impression. The parameters available when taking a Tempus call are essentially the same as those one would have in most emergency rooms.”
Captain Richard Hill, Etihad Airways chief operations officer, commented: “Passenger welfare and safety is of the utmost importance to Etihad Airways, and the introduction of the Tempus IC system will ensure that when medical emergencies do occur they are evaluated quickly. This helps ensure that the passenger can receive the appropriate treatment when the aircraft lands, whether this is as a diversion or at its final destination.”
Etihad is introducing the Tempus IC technology, designed and manufactured by UK-based RDT, on its A340 and Boeing 777 aircraft and then subsequently across the remaining long and ultralong-haul fleet.
Air New Zealand has helped insurers and assistance companies to control their repatriation costs through putting beds in economy class. The beds are formed by foot rests rising to the level of three seats – a blanket and loose, normal-sized pillows complete the arrangement. The airline has said that in order to benefit from the beds on offer to economy passengers, travellers will have to purchase all three seats.
Rob Fyfe, chief executive of the airline, told reporters: “For those who choose, the days of sitting in economy and yearning to lie down and sleep are gone. The dream is now a reality, one that you can even share with a travelling companion – just keep your clothes on, thanks.” Named Skycouches, the beds will take up the first 11 rows in the economy seats will convert to Skycouches.
So, thanks to Air New Zealand, no longer do insurers and assistance companies have to pay top dollar to repatriate their clients in first or business class on aeroplanes from far-flung destinations.
In November 2007, CareJet flew its inaugural international air ambulance transfer, carrying a patient from Guam to Hawaii. Just over two years later, the company saw its Westwind II jet accomplish its landmark 50th flight, transferring a critically ill member of the US Department of Homeland Security from Belau National Hospital to Guam’s Naval Hospital. Of the 50 medical flights that CareJet has completed, 30 have been patients from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and 16 patients have been flown from Guam’s hospitals to other facilities around the world – six were self-paid; five were covered by insurers; four came at the request of the military; and one was funded by the Medically Indigent Program. The busiest month for the air ambulance firm came in December 2009, when a total of nine international transfers were completed.
Pel-Air, a subsidiary of Regional Express Holdings Ltd, has been awarded the contract to provide air ambulance services to Victoria, Australia, offering the region fixed-wing patient transport services from mid 2011
The South Eastern section of Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS SE) has unexpectedly lost its contract to run Air Ambulance Victoria when the current arrangement ends in 2011
A new partnership between US-based Carolinas Health System’s MedCenter Air and Air Ambulance Card will provide air ambulance transports for members who sign up with MedCenter Air.
A team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing in the US has called for new competencies and training for flight nurses, as the number of flights and complexity of cases handled continues to increase. 
Rega recently completed a 96-month overhaul of its fleet of Challenger CL604 fixed-wing aircraft, including an update of the onboard medical equipment and new exterior paintwork. 
Air Methods Corporation has delivered the first medically equipped Bell 429 helicopter to Mercy One of Des Moines, Iowa, US. Air Methods said its products division is the first in the world to design, engineer, manufacture, and certify a medical interior for the 429.
Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is installing new technology on its long and ultralong-haul aircraft that can monitor the condition of passengers who display signs of sickness that might require immediate medical attention.
Air New Zealand has helped insurers and assistance companies to control their repatriation costs through putting beds in economy class. The beds are formed by foot rests rising to the level of three seats – a blanket and loose, normal-sized pillows complete the arrangement. The airline has said that in order to benefit from the beds on offer to economy passengers, travellers will have to purchase all three seats.
In November 2007, CareJet flew its inaugural international air ambulance transfer, carrying a patient from Guam to Hawaii. Just over two years later, the company saw its Westwind II jet accomplish its landmark 50th flight, transferring a critically ill member of the US Department of Homeland Security from Belau National Hospital to Guam’s Naval Hospital. Of the 50 medical flights that CareJet has completed, 30 have been patients from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and 16 patients have been flown from Guam’s hospitals to other facilities around the world – six were self-paid; five were covered by insurers; four came at the request of the military; and one was funded by the Medically Indigent Program. The busiest month for the air ambulance firm came in December 2009, when a total of nine international transfers were completed.
Evac Americas has launched as a new private-membership-only air medical transport service, according to the company.