5 Key Aspects of Neonatal Air Medical Services

Posted on October 19, 2017

Neonatal air transport requires specialized personnel and a well-equipped aircraft to ensure comprehensive medical care. Because neonates are the smallest patients, neonatal ambulance services are expected to offer the highest standards of dedication, compassion and professionalism for transporting this precious cargo. From the moment they are picked up until they are delivered safely to the receiving facility, neonatal ambulance crew and medical teams are required to respond with speed and efficiency.

A significant number of times an injured child or a critically ill infant requires emergent neonatal air transport to a specialized pediatric facility. Often because of medical, surgical or other rapidly progressing issues, neonates have to be transported to another facility abroad or outside the current location. In such cases, where ground transport is not deemed sufficient, it falls on the neonatal ambulance providers and their expert teams to improve outcomes by safely transporting these tiny patients. Because of the high risk factor involved, not all air medical transport services are equipped to handle neonatal cases. Have you ever wondered what facets a neonatal air transport protocol consists of? Here are 5 aspects of neonatal air medical services you should know about:

 

1 Emergent Neonatal Transfer

Depending on the medical or surgical issue at hand, many neonates require emergent neonatal air transport. Some develop medical or surgical problems while other have suffered from accident issues or rapidly emerging postpartum concerns and require immediate pediatric care. In times like this, when a neonate needs to be transferred to another facility, locally or internationally, it is imperative to lay emphasis on safely transferring them in a vehicle or transport which has been specifically equipped for neonatal air transport and perinatal regionalization. Neonatal air transport scheduling is generally handled by an experienced manager or program director who ensures seamless communication between the current facility, neonatal ambulance team and the receiving medical facility.

 

2 Medically Equipped Transport

Transporting an ill neonate or a severely injured child requires specialized care and equipment. Each neonatal ambulance must be a well-equipped aircraft with a sophisticated in-flight crew to ensure comprehensive neonatal intensive care. At AirMed, our neonatal air transport crew is dedicated to providing unparalleled neonate medical care. Each of our medical air jets are fully equipped for virtually every critical care scenario and come with ECG monitors, neonatal ventilators, fetal heart pump, low flow oxygen blender, isolette with environmental controls and other necessary equipment to deal with all kinds of critical medical cases.

 

3 Well Defined Critical Care Levels

To ensure that patients receive all levels of critical medical care, a neonatal air transport company must be accredited by CAMTS and other recognized air transportation authorities. Complete accreditation by CAMTS ensures that the neonatal ambulance company is in substantial compliance with the standards set forth by the agency which in turn confirms its dependability. At AirMed, we are completely accredited by CAMTS and strictly adhere to their procedures to ensure patient safety and care. We offer 3 levels of medical care on every medical aircraft. Our specialized team of licensed medical personnel includes trained physicians, ICU-trained and registered nurses and respiratory therapists.

 

4 Communication and Procedures

Upon receiving a neonatal ambulance request, the 24/7 support team will contact the appropriate medical control physician who discusses the issue with referring physician and authorizes a recommended mode of neonatal air transport. Additional communication takes place between the referring physicians, receiving physician, flight crew and the transport medical team. At AirMed, our support center is open 24/7/365 where our medical transport specialists coordinate with you every step of the way to ensure hassle free and smooth air medical transport services. They serve as a liaison between the attending and receiving facility, and cater to all the logistics, medical briefings, dispatch itinerary and permits. Besides offering the fastest and safest neonatal air transport services, we also provide bedside to bedside services, medevac services and commercial medical escorts for our patients.

 

5 Neonatal Team Skills & Competency

The most critically ill neonates require immediate transfer to a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). In-flight medical team for neonatal ambulance will generally include a competent resident physician, a respiratory therapist and licensed nurses along with experienced paramedics. Team competence is imperative in neonatal air transport and the team must be fully equipped to deal with any unforeseen circumstances such as respiratory arrest, incubation, instillation of an artificial surfactant and advanced invasive procedures. AirMed is proud of its flight crew and team of medical experts who are not only accredited but have years of knowledge and experience in NICU. We have transported premature babies, critically ill neonates and even children with complex congenital cardiac defects safely to various medical facilities around the world.

There are several key aspects and challenges in developing a perfect neonatal air transport system. With lives at stake, every step and minute counts. Even though neonatal ambulance services might appear to have a straightforward procedure, there is a lot that goes on in the background which many of us never find out. This is why it is imperative to choose an accredited neonatal air transport company, so can trust them with your tiny patient and know that they will adhere to a strict protocol deemed necessary for the patient’s medical care.