Nationwide status of aeromedical pre-hospital and retrieval medicine in Australia.

Objective: To survey the current structure, capability and operational scope of pre-hospital and retrieval aeromedical teams across Australia.

Methods: The medical directors of all Australian civilian adult aeromedical retrieval organisations with pre-hospital teams and/or doctors for inter-hospital critical care patient transport were contacted in a survey to qualitatively assess capacity and team structure.

Results: All 17 organisations contacted completed the survey.

External Aortic Compression in Noncompressible Truncal Hemorrhage and Traumatic Cardiac Arrest: A Scoping Review.

External aortic compression has been investigated as a treatment for non-compressible truncal haemorrhage in trauma patients. We sought to systematically gather and tabulate the available evidence around external aortic compression. We were specifically interested in its ability to achieve hemostasis and aid in resuscitation of traumatic arrest and severe shock and to consider physiological changes and adverse effects.

Advanced Ventilation and Monitoring During Helicopter Hoist Extraction of an Intubated Patient.

The intubated and ventilated patient in austere and inaccessible environments requiring helicopter hoist extraction presents significant procedural and logistical challenges. This case report describes the use of a mechanical ventilator and visible advanced monitoring throughout the entirety of the patient journey from the prehospital scene to the hospital, including the period during hoist extraction as human external cargo.

Ventilation of intubated patients during HEMS hoisting operations.

In response to the review "Advanced airway management in hoist and longline operations in mountain HEMS - considerations in austere environments: a narrative review." by Pietsch et al. we refer to recently published original research describing manual versus automatic ventilation of intubated patients during helicopter hoisting operations.

Ventilatory choices for intubated patients during helicopter stretcher winching.

Introduction: The winching of intubated patients on a stretcher into a helicopter is a rare event. Intermittent positive pressure ventilation is mandatory, which can either be performed manually with a self-inflating bag, or automatically using a portable ventilator. Theoretically automatic ventilation would provide improved oxygenation, more stable arterial carbon dioxide levels and a reduced risk of airway disconnection.