Review of Literature for Air Medical Evacuation High-Level Containment Transport

Abstract

Introduction: Aeromedical evacuation (AE) is a challenging process, further complicated when a patient has a highly hazardous communicable disease (HHCD). We conducted a review of the literature to evaluate the processes and procedures utilized for safe AE high-level containment transport (AE-HLCT) of patients with HHCDs. Methods: A literature search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE (from 1966 through January 2019). Authors screened abstracts for inclusion criteria and full articles were reviewed if the abstract was deemed to contain information related to the aim. Results: Our search criteria yielded 14 publications and were separated based upon publication dates, with the natural break point being the beginning of the 2013-2016 Ebola virus disease epidemic. Best practices and recommendations from identified articles are subdivided into pre-flight preparations, inflight operations, and post-flight procedures. Conclusions: Limited peer-reviewed literature exists on AE-HLCT, including important aspects related to healthcare worker fatigue, alertness, shift scheduling, and clinical care performance. This hinders the sharing of best practices to inform evacuations and equip teams for future outbreaks. Despite the successful use of different aircraft and technologies, the unique nature of the mission opens the opportunity for greater coordination and development of consensus standards for AE-HLCT operations.

Air Medical Evacuation of Nepalese Citizen During Epidemic of COVID-19 from Wuhan to Nepal

“…“Fixed Seat Allocation” 6 of passenger ensured by AMT. If possible, symptomatic should be at least 1 meter Seating started from 2 rows (2 meters) away from the exact position of the cabin crew stands during announcements to avoid contamination.…”

Évacuation sanitaire massive de patients COVID sur vecteur aérien civil

“…Ces retours d’expérience insistent sur les difficultés liées soit au niveau de soin élevé, soit à la nécessité de protection face au risque de contamination. Une pathologie contagieuse est en effet habituellement une contre-indication à une évacuation aérienne à moins d’utiliser des systèmes individuels d’isolement des patients [4] , [6] . L’organisation proposée, en reproduisant dans un avion la sectorisation mise en place dans les services de soin, permet de s’affranchir de cette contrainte tout en respectant les règles de sécurité recommandées par les autorités sanitaires françaises [11] .…”

“…L’évacuation sanitaire aérienne est une activité aujourd’hui développée à la fois par l’armée mais également dans le civil [4] , [5] . Elle obéit toutefois à certaines contraintes logistiques auxquelles viennent s’ajouter des difficultés supplémentaires en cas de transport de patients contagieux [4] , [6] . Le SAMU 974 de la Réunion bénéficie d’une large expérience de ces évacuations sanitaire.…”

Integration of aeromedicine in the response to the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…More recently, clinical guidelines have been developed for the safe transport of patients with Ebola virus disease in portable isolation units utilizing both ground ambulances, as well as rotor wing aircraft and large military cargo planes 9,10,11 . Additionally, there is little recent data on uniform domestic policies or clinical guidelines among helicopter air ambulance agencies when it pertains to the management of HCID patients 12,13 . The last broad survey in the U.S. was administered in 1996.…”