Sky's The Limit

November 13, 2023



Catching flights, saving lives and chasing sunsets. Elevating my patient care level to new heights after getting to spend the day with the emergency medical flight crew. I learned all about airlifting patients for medical evacuations. It brought back so many memories of my time volunteering as an EMT.


Not only was it fascinating to be part of this side of healthcare, but it also gave me insight into the critical care transition that takes place. Emergency medical air transport is crucial to saving lives because time is of the essence. I gained a better understanding of the entirety of a patient’s medical course from “on scene” to “out-of-hospital.”

Some interesting facts I learned:

  • The flight suit is flame retardant.
  • The helicopter is checked multiple times during a shift including before take-off and after landing.
  • Every piece of equipment is locked down and secured.
  • They transport patients of all ages including neonates.
  • About 60% of patients air lifted are inter-facility transports (between hospitals) and 40% are directly from the scene.
  • At night the crew uses night vision goggles.
  • They fly up to about 2500 feet elevation and, while they don’t need oxygen, it does get cold! Luckily they have blankets and warmers to maintain patient temperatures.
Check out the reel below for a recap:

I hope to spend more time with the crew in an effort of understand how my specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation can play a more active role in patient care before even arriving at the hospital.

Till then, the sky’s the limit…or is it?!





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