LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Helicopter Transport: Patients
built 255 days ago
Helicopter transport to hospital reduces the time it takes to get a patient to hospital. Mr. Roderick said it takes about ten minutes to get from Chester to the Queen Elizabeth Health Sciences Centre rooftop helipad in Halifax. And the faster you can get someone to the definitive level of medical care, he said, the higher their survival rate.
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Helicopter transport of critically ill or injured patients can mean the difference between life and death in many cases. In order to ensure appropriate use of the helicopter service, guidelines have been established for all emergency care personnel who are in a position to request the service on behalf of a patient.
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Airplanes (... called fixed-wing aircraft) began being used for medical transportation soon after the helicopter. Airplanes have traditionally been used for transporting stable patients over long distances. There are very few rules and regulations regarding patient transport by airplane, therefore standards vary considerably. One patient may travel on a commercial jet accompanied by a medical escort whose training may be limited to CPR. Another patient may require full advanced life support care including ventilatory support, medications, and hemodynamic monitoring, thus requiring the presence of an advanced healthcare team onboard a specialty configured aircraft. It is important to understand crew and aircraft capabilities when selecting a program to transport a patient.
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For many years, hospital helicopter transport program charges have not reflected true operating costs 2. Patient revenue from other hospital charges have been used to offset operating losses. Charges for helicopter transport continue to rise, with an average 100 mile round-trip mission costing in excess of $2000 in 1990 2 . This figure represents a 40% increase over the average cost of a similar trip reported in 1989.
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The modern era of aeromedical transport began during World War II, when helicopters transported wounded patients in Burma. During the Korean and Vietnamese conflicts, helicopter aeromedical transport significantly reduced battlefield mortality and became an important and highly visible part of the military trauma system. In Korea, more than 20,000 wounded soldiers were transported in litters strapped to the skids of Bell-47 and Sikorsky S-51 helicopters. In Vietnam's Operation Dustoff, 800,000 patients were aeromedically transported.
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You can place the Meducare Air Flight Team on "Standby" if you question whether emergent helicopter transport is needed. Early activation is essential when a patient requires rapid transport from an accident scene or outlying facility. Give the Communications Specialist the following information when you call:
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