Wednesday, May 28, 2003
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Wednesday, May 28, 2003 |
Paramedics train with helicopter medical staff to insure smooth transportBy JOHN
MUNFORD
When treating a seriously injured patient, paramedics know time is of the essence to get them to a trauma level hospital. That's why Fayette County paramedics sometimes call for a medical helicopter to transport critically wounded patients. The service from Rescue Air 1, for example, can get a patient to a hospital in downtown Atlanta from anywhere in Fayette in less than 15 minutes from takeoff to landing. Accomplishing that goal takes a seamless transition between on-the-ground paramedics and the airborne medical staff, according to officials. Fayette paramedics and Rescue Air 1 staff participated in a combined drill last week to go over procedures in preparing patients for air transport. The main goal is to improve safety for patients by presenting medical personnel with various scenarios that they'll have to handle, said Allen McCullough, assistant chief for the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. "They usually get some of our worst cases," McCullough said, noting that some patients are too severely injured to be taken to Fayette Community Hospital. Pam Robertson, program director for Rescue Air 1, said it helps to have the ground-based paramedics train with the airborne medical staff. Airborne medical treatment differs from that given in the back of the ambulance on a routine ground trip to the hospital, Robertson said. "It's a much more confined space to work in," Robertson said, noting that ground paramedics have to take some special measures to prepare a patient for air transport. That includes making sure there's a safe landing zone near the scene, McCullough noted. Loading the patient into the helicopter can present challenges for medics as they must take care to avoid the chopper's blades, McCullough noted.
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