Open Access<p>Long−Distance Aeromedical Transport of Patients with COVID−19 in Fixed−Wing Air Ambulance Using a Portable Isolation Unit: Opportunities, Limitations and Mitigation Strategies</p>
Author(s) -
Dirk Schwabe,
Bernhard Kellner,
Dirk Henkel,
Heinz Jürgen Pilligrath,
Stefanie Krummer,
Sascha Zach,
Cornelia Rohrbeck,
Michael A. Diefenbach,
Alex Veldman
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
open access emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.408
H-Index - 14
ISSN - 1179-1500
DOI - 10.2147/oaem.s277678
Subject(s) - covid-19 , isolation (microbiology) , medicine , aeronautics , fixed wing , patient isolation , medical emergency , emergency medicine , unit (ring theory) , wing , virology , engineering , psychology , biology , outbreak , aerospace engineering , bioinformatics , infectious disease (medical specialty) , university hospital , disease , mathematics education
Aeromedical transport of patients with highly-infectious diseases, particularly over long distances with extended transport times, is a logistical, medical and organizational challenge. Following the 2014-2016 Ebola Crisis, sophisticated transport solutions have been developed, mostly utilizing large civilian and military airframes and the patient treated in a large isolation chamber. In the present COVID-19 pandemic, however, many services offer aeromedical transport of patients with highly-infectious diseases in much smaller portable medical isolation units (PMIU), with the medical team on the outside, delivering care through portholes.