Aeromedical Evacuation - Management of Acute and Stabilized Patients

The definitive treatment on the medical evacuation and management of injured patients in both peace- and wartime. Edited by eminent experts in the field, this text brings together medical specialists from all four branches of the armed services. It discusses the history of aeromedical evacuation, triage and staging of the injured patient, evacuation from site of injury to medical facility, air-frame capabilities, medical capabilities in-flight, response to in-flight emergencies, and mass emergency evacuation. Specific medical conditions are addressed in detail, including such general surgical casualties as abdominal wounds and soft tissue, vascular, maxillofacial, head and spinal cord injuries, ophthalmologic, orthopaedic, pediatric, obstetric-gynecologic casualties, burns, and more. Over 80 illustrations provide a review of transport equipment and both medical and surgical treatment. A must-have reference for all armed forced physicians and flight surgeons, for general and trauma surgeons, internists, intensive care specialists, orthopaedic surgeons, and public health service physicians. AEROMEDICAL EVACUATION: MANAGEMENT OF THE ACUTE AND STABILIZIED PATIENT is the definitive treatment on the medical evacuation and management of injured patients in both peacetime and wartime. Edited by eminent experts in the field, this text brings together medical specialists from across all four branches of the armed services. The post-Cold War paradigm shift necessitates the rapid-fire response of aeromedical evacuation services to treat and transport patients injured in regional conflicts, in mass emergencies and natural disasters, in the face of terrorist attack, and in the event of biological or chemical warfare. The book discusses the history of aeromedical evacuation, triage and staging of the injured patient, evacuation from site of injury to medical facility, air-frame capabilities, medical capabilities in- flight, response to in-flight emergencies, and mass emergency evacuation. Specific medical conditions are addressed in detail in the second half of the book, including general surgical casualties such as abdominal wounds and soft tissue injuries, vascular injuries, maxillofacial injuries, head and spinal cord injuries, ophthalmologic casualties, orthopaedic casualties, burns, pediatric casualties, obstetric-gynecologic casualties, and more. Over 80 illustrations provide a useful review of transport equipment and both medical and surgical treatment. Algorithms outline patient triage and management from the field or site to the medical facility. This text is a must-have reference for all armed forced physicians and flight surgeons, for general and trauma surgeons, internists, intensive care specialists, orthopaedic surgeons, and public health service physicians. Preliminaries......Page 1 Foreword......Page 5 Contents......Page 7 1 Introduction......Page 17 2 Aeromedical Evacuation A Historical Perspective......Page 20 3 Indications and Considerations for Emergent Evacuation of the Peacetime Casualty......Page 27 4 Combat and Operational Casualties......Page 41 5 Military Casualty Evacuation: MEDEVAC......Page 59 6 Aeromedical Triage Support to Mass Casualty Events......Page 74 7 Patient Staging for Aeromedical Evacuation......Page 89 8 Aircraft Considerations for Aeromedical Evacuation......Page 102 9 Critical-Care Air Transport......Page 125 10 Nursing Care In Flight......Page 150 11 Aeromedical Evacuation of Patients with Contagious Infections......Page 161 12 In Flight Emergencies Capabilities and Limitations......Page 174 13 General Surgical Casualties......Page 187 14 Air Evacuation of the Neurosurgical Patient......Page 198 15 Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Patients......Page 217 16 Ophthalmic Patients......Page 229 17 Peripheral Vascular Casualties......Page 239 18 Aeromedical Evacuation of Cardiothoracic Casualties......Page 255 19 Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation......Page 270 20 Orthopedic Patients......Page 279 21 Burn Patients......Page 288 22 Aeromedical Evacuation of Obstetric and Gynecological Patients......Page 301 23 Medical Casualties......Page 327 24 Pediatric Casualties......Page 343 25 Aeromedical Evacuation of Psychiatric Casualties......Page 364 Index......Page 373 Need -- Introduction -- Aeromedical Evacuation: A Historical Perspective -- Indications And Considerations For Emergent Evacuation Of The Peacetime Casualty -- Combat And Operational Casualties -- Means -- Military Casualty Evacuation: Medevac -- Aeromedical Triage Support To Mass-casualty Events -- Patient Staging For Aeromedical Evacuation -- Aircraft Considerations For Aeromedical Evacuation -- Critical-care Air Transport: Patient Flight Physiology And Organizational Considerations -- Nursing Care In-flight -- Aeromedical Evacuation Of Patients With Contagious Infections -- In-flight Emergencies: Capabilities And Limitations -- Patients -- General Surgical Casualties: Abdominal Wounds, Urogenital Traumas, And Soft-tissue Injuries -- Air Evacuation Of The Neurosurgical Patient -- Otorhinolaryngology Head And Neck Surgery Patients -- Ophthalmic Patients -- Peripheral Vascular Casualties -- Aeromedical Evacuation Of Cardiothoracic Casualties -- Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation -- Orthopedic Patients -- Burn Patients -- Aeromedical Evacuation Of Obstetric And Gynecological Patients -- Medical Casualties -- Pediatric Casualties -- Aeromedical Evacuation Of Psychiatric Casualties. William W. Hurd, John G. Jernigan, Editors ; Foreword By Paul K. Carlton, Jr. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Aeromedical Evacuation: Management of Acute and Stabilized Patients is the definitive examination of long-distance aeromedical evacuation of injured and ill patients during both peacetime and contingency operations. This significant text brings together, for the first time, an exceptional number of authorities in patient transportation, combining the vast experience of civilian experts with both active duty and reserve experts in the United States Air Force, Army, and Navy. The post-Cold War paradigm shift necessitates the rapid-fire response of aeromedical evacuation services to treat and transport patients injured in regional conflicts, mass casualty emergencies, and natural disasters, in the face of terrorist attacks, and in the event of biological or chemical warfare Aeromedical evacuation (AE) is the long-distance, usually greater than 300 miles, air transportation of patients after medical treatment that is adequate to assure a successful movement.