Medi Ops - Do You Think it Might Save You, the Air Ambulance?

Emergency Medical Services are slowly advancing through time. The ambulance started only as a transport for patients to hospitals for them to receive medical treatment. Now, patients can receive additional treatment while they are being carried to the hospital.

Land-based ambulances are now equipped with the latest medical apparatus so they can perform minor tests and also give relief to patients. For areas that are impossible to reach by the regular ambulance, the air ambulance is available.

Air ambulances are aircraft that are designed to be used for assisting in critical medical situations in remote areas or where air transportation is more accessible. It is a flying ambulance.

It carries the common medical gears such as ECG and monitors, ventilators, medication, and stretchers. It also has a medical crew on board. Undoubtedly, this is the fastest way to respond to a medical emergency and transport the patient to receive full medical attention.

Choosing the crew for an air ambulance is critical. For pilots, they require higher credentials than the pilots who only fly regular flights. Experience is also a core. This is to ensure the safety and capability of the pilot in flying emergency flights.

The US government and the Commission on Air Medical Transportation Systems (CAMTS) have set standards for air ambulance services. They require the service companies to have their aircraft and ensure that the pilot and his crew, as well as the plane, meet higher standards. The accreditation is done by experts to ensure air ambulance safety.

The medical staff is chosen depending on different conditions. It could be by country, area, service provider or by type of the air ambulance. For companies that focus on critical care transport, they mostly consist of nurses and doctors. 

Air ambulance service or aeromedical evacuation is being offered by different organizations and it may also depend on which country you are in. These organizations include military or personal models, government-funded, fee-for-service, donated by a business organization and also a public donation of the different aircraft that they use. Almost all air ambulances, except for charter aircraft or military planes are equipped for advanced life support. 

They also have some limited space that restricts the onboard medical crew to perform certain medical tests. The pressure is also a big factor with air ambulances for not all of them have pressurized cabins. That is why they need a medical crew that has higher skills so they could adjust the medications and also checks for changes in physiology and behavior of gases against pressure.

Now we already know the advantages and benefits of an air ambulance to our lives. We could also expect that shortly, there will be a big improvement in terms of Emergency Medical Services, particularly with air ambulances. We can be confident that wherever we are, help can still reach us.