Ambulance Helicopter?

afatbollix

is there such a thing in Ireland? with so many people living so far away to hospitals id be suprised if we dont have a couple...

if you see the tv programs on the ones in the UK they attend big car crashes (where time is vital) etc etc...

cushtac

Air ambulance given clearance for HSE take-off
Army's new helicopters will save patients' lives
Sunday Independent
By DON LAVERY
Sunday March 09 2008

A new 24/7 national air ambulance service using state-of-the-art helicopters and medical equipment is to be launched by the HSE this month.

Campaigners who have argued for a full helicopter ambulance service yesterday said that the new initiative would save lives.

In a rare good news story, the embattled HSE has entered into an agreement with the Air Corps to use a fleet of four newly-delivered AW-139 helicopters as air ambulances.

The military choppers, capable of flying day or night, and in most weather conditions, were bought for €48m for military purposes,

Under the HSE contract, they will carry incubators, cardiac equipment, and stretcher systems -- all purchased on advice from the HSE.

The army choppers, which will be used for inter-hospital transfers, are capable of carrying medical personnel.

Sources described the new scheme, which went live last month, as a "half-way house" to a full Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS).

Campaigners ultimately want helicopters to rush patients to hospital from car crashes and other emergencies -- within the "golden hour" doctors say is vital to survival.

Ireland is the only country in the EU without a full HEMS service.

Veteran campaigner for a HEMS service, and former Mayo TD, Dr Jerry Cowley, welcomed the service, which will be unveiled officially on March 26 at Baldonnel aerodrome, the Air Corps' HQ outside Dublin. He said the new service would save lives, and could be expanded to include support for road traffic accidents.

"Inter-hospital transfers are really most important. For instance, taking victims of road traffic accidents from Mayo General to Beaumont in Dublin; or bringing neo-natal patients from Kerry to Crumlin children's hospital. This is where the greatest need is, where you have people in hospital and need to transfer them," he said.

Dr Cowley said a HEMS service would also make a worthy cross-Border project, and could also serve Northern Ireland.

The National Roads Authority put the average cost of a life lost on the roads at €1.27m, while Beaumont Hospital estimated that four lives were lost every year --with up to 16 people permanently disabled -- because of the lack of a HEMS service.

"The saving of life and disability could amount to €25m, enough to set up HEMS for all Ireland", according to Dr Cowley.

afatbollix

pitty its not full time but its a start....

cushtac

This is nothing new, the Air Corp has been doing this for years with both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. The government should get the finger out & buy dedicated HEMS aircraft, rather than having the Air Corp double job.

metman

Ireland really needs this service. HEMS does a cracking job in London, have worked with em a couple of times......plus its always fun when you get to shut down a street because you've got an air-ambo coming in!

timmywex

Basically, as seen in that news article, there is a service for inter hospital transfers, but no system for a heli to attend car crashes or other such trrauma incidents, when the golden hour comes into play!

Traumadoc

I really cannot see the need for HEMS in Ireland, except perhaps in the west, as most areas are within 40 minutes of a major hospital by road ambulance.

maglite

Traumadoc,

is that a arrive to scene time


I'm 9 miles away from the ambu base and i would say a 30min to hospital time is prob closer

and i'd clas that as close

TheNog

timmywex wrote: »

Basically, as seen in that news article, there is a service for inter hospital transfers, but no system for a heli to attend car crashes or other such trrauma incidents, when the golden hour comes into play!

I remember seeing an Army helo land beside the Kentstown crash site when the 5 girls were killed on the school bus. Couldn't tell ye if it was an air ambo but I presumed it was. Maybe they are used in emergency plans as well.

BeardyGit

The problem is that people seem to think a helicopter can always, or even nearly always, touch down in any old field adjacent to the scene of an accident, and that's simply not true.

A casualty would need to be transported via ambulance to a cleared heli LZ, then flown to an approved heli LZ near(ish) to a hospital, before being transferred again to an ambulance for onwards transport to hospital.

Take for example Tallaght hospital and the S61, which isn't allowed land at the hospital. They have to head for Casement over in Baldonnel where an ambulance is required to transfer to Tallaght.... By the time you add everything up, it could be quicker to just put 'em in the bus and drive to hospital.... Same goes for the Mater, where would they land?

Helicopters are super tools, but sometimes they're as much of a hinderance as anything else. The air ambulances in the UK have been coming in for a fair bit of criticism over the inherrent delays, and that's coming from the hospital A&E departments themselves....

Gil

Traumadoc

Beaumont and Mater cases have to go to Dublin airport.
It would take longer with more transfers, huge logistics, large cost. not worth it except in major incidents.

afatbollix

Its not all about Dublin tho. If there was a bad Crash on lets say achill Island in Co.Mayo your talking a 1:30 hour drive to Castlebar to the hospital... (and thats leaving the sence not getting there included)

Traumadoc

I agree there may be a role for some areas in the west, but say you have a RTA in Achill, Ambulance is called to the scene and decides it needs to get to a trauma center, Air ambulance scrambled takes 10 minutes to get airborn 40 min flight time from Shannon 20 min to patient transfer 10 flight min to Mayo general.

Tango Alpha 51

Anto,
Having holidayed in Achill for the last 15yrs or so, it's only 60kms from Achill to Castlebar. An ambulance would do that in less than an hr.

The idea of HEMS is a good one. But in my exp, I would have to agree with Traumadoc. Most of the regional hospital's are supposed to be Level 1 trauma centres but in reality should be classed as Level 2 due to the non existence of a helicopter landing pad. Cork Regional & Limerick Regional both had them but were replaced by public car parks years ago. Plans are afoot to build a new one in Limerick but as it stands at the moment even if the Aer Corps were able to be mobilised to a serious RTC which had a land transportation time of 40-50 mins, they would still have to land either at Cork Airport or Coonagh airfield in Limerick (either have a 10 min road time to the appropriate hospital).