Two Marlborough Missions for Westpac Rescue Helicopter + two Life Flight Air Ambulance missions
19/07/2009
The Wellington based Westpac Rescue Helicopter responded to two emergency missions in Marlborough today (Sunday) whilst the Life Flight Air Ambulances were also busy transporting critically ill patients around the country.
Just after 12 noon the helicopter, with a specialist ICU flight nurse and doctor from Wellington Hospital, was called to transport an injured patient from Wairau ICU to Hutt Hospital Plastics.
The team transported a seriously burned 20 year old Blenheim man to Hutt Hospital.
He had serious burns over his legs, arms and buttocks after he reportedly threw petrol onto a bonfire last night.
No other information is available on when, where or how the original incident took place.
Shortly after returning to Wellington, at about the Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called to a trail bike accident in the hills about 10km south of Blenheim.
The helicopter, with a Wellington Free Ambulance paramedic aboard, responded to the scene just after 3pm.
Upon arrival the team found a 47 year old Blenheim man who was trail bike riding and was thrown over the front of the bike after hitting a rock at high speed. The man was seriously injured and was transported to hospital with spinal and chest injuries. He has been admitted to Wellington Hospital ICU.
For information on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter flights please contact Dave Greenberg on 029 233 8284.
Around 5pm tonight the Auckland based Life Flight Air Ambulance returned to Auckland after a marathon retrieval from Invercargill. The Auckland based team with specialist doctors and nurses from Auckland Hospital were required to transport a seriously ill patient by performing an Extra Corporeal Life Support (ECMO) transfer. An ECMO transfer is a complicated transfer where special machines are used to bypass a patient's heart and lungs and supply oxygen to the patient externally.
The team of doctors and nurses were unable to reach Invercargill Saturday night due to severe weather in the south so they were flown to Dunedin and were driven to Invercargill by road ambulance. Around 11am this morning the Invercargill airport re-opened and the Life Flight Air Ambulance was able to fly into Invercargill to retrieve the patient and team and fly them all back to Auckland.
Auckland Hospital, in conjunction with Life Flight, are the only service able to perform ECMO transfers in New Zealand.
For information on this ECMO transfer please contact Ian Lauder, Auckland Life Flight Operations Manager, after 7am Monday morning. He can be contacted on 029 233 8281
Earlier today the Wellington based Life Flight Air Ambulance, with a specialist ICU flight nurse and doctor from Wellington Hospital, transported a critically ill 17 year old Wellington woman from Wellington Hospital to Auckland Hospital for emergency surgery. The woman was injured in a car accident earlier today and was suffering from kidney and liver internal injuries which needed to be treated at Auckland Hospital.
For information on this mission please contact Dave Greenberg on 029 233 8284.
