Medical Equipment on board the Air Ambulance
Life Flight’s air ambulances are equipped with much the same equipment as you’d find in a hospital. All medical equipment is also used on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. This enables a seamless transport from bedside-to-bedside and gives medical staff maximum exposure to key life-support equipment.The Stretcher Bridge
The stretcher bridge was designed by Life Flight and custom made in New Zealand for our aircraft. The bridge attaches to each stretcher and ensures that oxygen and essential medical equipment is kept with a patient at all times. It plays a crucial role in safely transporting our patients to the care they urgently require.It is compatible for use on the aircraft and in road ambulances. It enables medical teams to monitor vital signs at any stage of the transfer and also eliminates unnecessary movement of patients.
The bridge has its own power and oxygen supply. It also incorporates a ventilator (to 'breathe' for the patient), a cardiac monitor (to monitor the heart rhythm and rate and alert medical teams to administer appropriate medication) and intravenous pumps (to supply medication and fluids during transportation at a controlled rate).
Portable Defibrillator
Used to revive a patient’s heart when it develops life-threatening rhythms.Medical Kit
A compact storage unit containing advanced airway equipment, a cardiac pacer, various medications and monitoring equipment – carried onto the plane and into hospitals.Specialised Neonatal Equipment
Specialised neonatal incubators, stretchers and bridges are used to fly critically sick or injured babies.
Life Flight uses incubators with special equipment designed for small babies that measures vital signs and helps to keep them safe during their essential journeys.
Two new incubators were introduced by Capital and Coast Health in August 2010.
They took four years to develop, but for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurse Manager Rosemary Escott the wait has been worthwhile as the modifications will make it quicker and easier for both staff and patients to get back to the hospital. "Most importantly the new units are capable of carrying twins, so previously where two incubators, two flight nurses and often two trips were needed, now one nurse can potentially do it," Rosemary said.
They are the first incubators in New Zealand to be certified by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Vacuum Mattress
A specialised mattress immobilises the patient by acting as a 'total-body splinting device'.After the patient has been positioned onto the stretcher mattress the air is sucked out of it which ensures that the patient’s body is perfectly moulded into the mattress and splinted for maximum stability during transportation.
This item is essential for safely transporting patients suffering spinal injuries.
Oxygen and Medical Air
Our stretchers and
incubators are all equipped with small oxygen and/or medical air bottles which
are used when outside of a hospital or aircraft. Once in the aircraft they are connected to our
onboard supply to help them breathe. Each aircraft carries
double the amount of oxygen or medical air that we expect to need on a flight
to ensure there is adequate supply if there are any complications or delays.
Power Supplies
Each aircraft has power supplies capable of delivering 12, 24 or 240 volt power which can be used to power any of our medical equipment.
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