Transport Environment, Equipment, and Operations
Transport environment, equipment, and operations
Match the aircraft and crew to the patient: rotor-wing for short, scene, or hospital-to-hospital transfers where speed and access matter; fixed-wing for longer distances, higher altitude, and more cabin space. Understand cabin altitude, range, fuel, weather, and landing-zone or helipad requirements. Equipment must be secured for turbulence and crashworthiness, and must tolerate altitude, vibration, and electromagnetic interference. Verify battery life, oxygen supply, suction, ventilator settings, monitor alarms, and infusion pump profiles. Specialty devices such as intra-aortic balloon pumps, ECMO, isolettes, and ventilators have transport-specific limits and require trained crew. Weight and balance, oxygen calculations, and hazardous materials rules are operational duties, not paperwork. Traps include assuming a device is altitude-rated, forgetting that oxygen duration depends on cylinder pressure and flow, overlooking battery drain during prolonged ground time, and failing to secure loose equipment. Isolation and infection-control plans must be set before boarding. Worked example: an E cylinder reads 2,000 psi and the cylinder factor is 0.28 L/psi. At 15 L/min, duration ≈ (2,000 × 0.28) ÷ 15 ≈ 37 minutes-before reserve and altitude allowances. Rule of thumb: calculate oxygen and battery needs for the whole mission plus a reserve, and confirm the receiving facility can accept the patient and device before launch.