Transport Equipment, Vehicle Safety, and Team Operations
Equipment and readiness
Daily and pre-trip checks cover oxygen supply and reserve cylinders, suction, bag-mask devices sized for every patient in scope, a ventilator with charged batteries, monitors with functioning alarms, infusion pumps, a defibrillator, and a warming device. Calculate oxygen duration before departure: minutes = (psi × cylinder constant) ÷ flow in L/min; the E-cylinder constant is about 0.28. Plan for the worst-case return leg plus reserve.
Securing the patient and the vehicle
The patient must be restrained independently of the stretcher, and the stretcher locked to the floor. Infant car seats must meet the applicable federal motor vehicle safety standard and be installed per manufacturer instructions - no padding under or over the harness. Loose equipment becomes a projectile; secure every cylinder, monitor, and bag.
Team operations
Assign roles before launch (team leader, airway, monitoring/medications, driver/safety), brief the plan, confirm the receiving facility accepts the patient, and use closed-loop communication. Adopt a sterile-cockpit approach during critical phases. Debrief after every transport, report safety events, and document deviations from plan.
Traps
Battery life shortens in cold and with aging batteries; a "full" display can mean minutes. Oxygen math questions often omit the ventilator's own consumption.
Rule of thumb
A 2,000-psi E-cylinder at 10 L/min delivers 2,000 × 0.28 ÷ 10 ≈ 56 minutes - little margin for a 30-minute trip, so carry a second cylinder.