The Combat Surgical Hospital (MASH)

One of the most important criterion in emergency medical treatment is response time. With crowded streets and highways, civil unrest and the aftermath of terrorist attacks, it can become a serious challenge to transport the critically injured to hospitals. Fortunately, there are unique hospitals in the air that can circumvent roadblocks in life and death circumstances. Within minutes a medical emergency team can be on the scene, doing what they do best... saving lives.

Aeromedically speaking, we've come a long way in a short time. And as technology continues to unveil new computer assisted medical techniques, we can look forward to incredible triumphs never dreamed by our great-grandparents. Let's take a brief look at how far we've come.

The first documented air ambulance was in 1910, and helped evacuate World War I soldiers who were wounded on the front.

During World War II ten thousand casualties were transported to safety world-wide.

The Korean War benefited from the medevac helicopter, which flew the wounded from the battlefield directly to the nearest Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH).

In the 1990's the Combat Surgical Hospital (CSH) replaced MASH and remains the cutting-edge of aeromedical rescue. These CSH planes contain an emergency room, an operating room, ICU beds and standard beds run by surgeons, nurses, and ansthesiologists. The are so well-equipped that a patient receives almost hospital-level care while in the air, an incredible improvement from the air ambulances of the early twentieth century.

Today basic critical care transport teams in the air consist of a physician, a critical care nurse, and a respiratory therapist, and also includes an assortment of nurses and technicians, depending upon the type of crisis. In the 1990's the United States Air Force started to provide an aeromedical plane for the president when he visited third world countries where he might not receive medical care in time to avert serious injury or assassination

attempts.

Recently, Luxembourg Air Rescue (LAR) was presented with the "best air ambulance services in the world" award in an international competition that included the USA, Canada and Africa. The LAR stood head and shoulders above the rest because it is the first air ambulance to accommodate infectious disease patients, and has certified weight transportation stretchers. The LAR has been operating for 28 years and has 165 employees, including pilots, doctors, nurses, technicians, and customer service agents. The organization owns five rescue helicopters and five air ambulance planes, which are constantly in use.

As if these aero transports weren't incredible enough, Alec Momont, an engineering graduate student at Delft University of Technology, invented a rapid response drone, fully functional as a flying first-aid station. At speeds up to 60 mph, it noticeably reduces the time before a patient receives first aid from ten minutes to one minute, which in turn increases their chance of surviving a cardiac arrest from eight percent to 80 percent. It has the versatility of facilitating emergency life-saving techniques for heart failure, drowning, snake bite, head trauma and respiratory problems.

The ambulance drone also carries a defibrillator, which it can transport 12 square miles in one minute. It's equipped with livestream audio/video connections that allow medical professionals to communicate with people helping at the scene. Since only 20 percent of untrained people can use a defibrillator successfully, an EMT giving instructions via webcam could help this statistic rise to 90 percent.

These strides are an inspiration to take another leap into the next stage of aeromedical discovery. We'd like to answer your questions and assist you in your medical equipment needs. For information about sales or leasing, contact us, hospital-for-sale-lease.

https://www.cnet.com/news/ambulance-drone-delivers-help-to-heart-attack-victims/