AirMed Continues Investment in State-of-the-Art Medical Equipment

Over the past 8 years, AirMed has invested several million pounds in new medical equipment, aircraft and specialist personnel. The latest investment is in a new cardiac output monitor for use on critical patient transfers. The non-invasive cardiac output monitor (NICOM) produced by Cheetah Medical, has a robust research history and proof of concept evidence for use in medical aviation through a recently published article by Dr Clément Dubois, a French anaesthetist who described its use in a repatriation from Afghanistan. It is understood from the manufacturer that AirMed is the first non-military organisation to use this equipment on aeromedical transfers.

AirMed has a justified reputation as a leader in the air transport of critical care patients and applies the same standards in the air as patients would expect to experience in any UK intensive care unit. For some time, AirMed’s critical care medical crews have been able to use Oesophageal Doppler monitoring to determine stroke volume, cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance, but while this technology is excellent it requires considerable user input and an unconscious patient.

AirMed Medical Director and Consultant Anaesthetist Dr Jon Warwick has used both systems in his theatre practice and was keen to introduce the NICOM to his teams. “The NICOM is much easier to use than alternative systems and has the flexibility for use on any of our patients regardless of their conscious level. The system gives our medical teams’ instant information regarding our patients’ cardiovascular state to assist in differential diagnosis thereby guiding our treatment response. I am convinced that this technology will have a significant impact on patient care”.

The system is extremely lightweight and simply requires the attachment of some ‘ECG type’ electrodes. This gives the patient no discomfort and clinical data is then displayed within two minutes of commencement. All of AirMed’s specialist medical teams have been trained on the new system and NICOM monitoring is now available for all of AirMed’s critical care repatriations and retrievals.

Air ambulance transfers present a range of clinical challenges within a potentially unstable environment with space at a premium. The length of the evacuation, lack of immediate access to diagnostic equipment and consultant advice and the dry environment at altitude make clinical diagnosis and management even more difficult. The NICOM will enable AirMed’s clinicians to assess fluid responsiveness in the patient, to fine tune their fluid management and to titrate vasoactive drugs.

“This is the next step in our continued development” says Jane Topliss, Director of Business Development. “Patient treatment is always evolving and in order to maintain an exceptionally high standard of clinical practice, AirMed is always assessing patient needs and equipment developments and applying any of these advances into the aircraft environment”.

AirMed transports an average of 600 patients a year across the globe out of their base at Oxford Airport in the UK. The majority of transfers are on behalf of the insurance industry bringing UK citizens back into the UK. Over the past 2 years AirMed has become well recognised for their neonatal, perinatal and obstetric capabilities with up to 10% of their annual transfers now being from these specialisms.