The Institute of Air Defense Medicine - Air Force proposes to develop a fleet of specialized ambulance aircraft, standardize training of doctors and nurses, and gradually form a national air ambulance system.
The proposal was shared by a representative of the Institute of Air Defense Medicine - Air Force at the Conference to exchange expertise on air emergency, on the morning of September 12. Develop an aviation emergency system to meet the needs of rescuing soldiers, fishermen on islands and responding to natural disasters.
According to Dr. Nguyen Hai Dang, Institute of Air Defense Medicine - Air Force, air ambulance (AME) is one of the important applications of aviation medicine, allowing for quick transportation of patients and seriously wounded soldiers from divided terrain areas, remote islands or areas affected by natural disasters to specialized treatment facilities.
Vietnam has a coastline of more than 3,260 km, thousands of large and small islands and many mountainous and border areas, this need is increasingly clear. Especially in Truong Sa, DK1 platform and remote sea areas, cases such as multiple injuries, traumatic brain injury, myocardial infarction, stroke or decompression syndrome in divers can develop quickly, while emergency transport by sea takes many hours, even 24-48 hours.
"Air travel may be the only method to take patients across geographical distances within the time frame that determines survival," Dr. Dang said.
Based on this reality, the Institute of Air Defense Medicine - Air Force proposes to transfer air ambulance from single flights to a system that is organized, standardized and operated uniformly at the national level. One of the key contents is planning and developing a fleet of specialized emergency aircraft, instead of mainly using improved military transport aircraft for each mission.
According to the proposal, the fleet could include medium-range flat-wing aircraft equipped with an intensive care unit (ICU) configuration and a new generation helicopter with a rescue winch system and a fixed medical platform, suitable for search and rescue missions and patient transportation in complex terrain conditions. At the same time, expand the network of helicopter landing zones at provincial general hospitals, central hospitals and key areas, forming an interconnected reception - transport - treatment network.
For the system to operate safely, it is necessary to develop a set of National Standards for air ambulance, which regulates the capacity of flight medical crews, safety standards of medical equipment on aircraft and coordination procedures between military and civilian medicine. The cost of air ambulance transportation for seriously ill patients is also proposed to be studied for integration into health insurance policies and welfare policies for island areas.
First aid on an airplane is significantly different from first aid on the ground. Changes in pressure, oxygen concentration, vibration, noise, acceleration and confined spaces can directly impact patients as well as medical equipment. Patients should be assessed for their ability to tolerate flight before transport; equipment must be compatible with the aviation environment; Medical teams need specialized training. Therefore, the institute proposed to build a simulated Airborne Emergency Training Center, with a simulated aircraft cabin that can reproduce conditions such as noise, vibration, pressure changes and night lighting. This will be the place to train flight doctors, flight nurses and train military and civilian medical forces on resuscitation in the aviation environment.
At the conference, Colonel Nguyen Quang Luyen, Head of Logistics and Technology of the Air Defense and Air Force, said that air emergency is a highly technical medical field with a specific and interdisciplinary nature, requiring close coordination between the command agency, flight forces, medical crews, patient transfer facilities and reception facilities.
However, the effectiveness of each flight depends on many factors, from transportation instructions, patient preparation, medical crew capacity to equipment and vehicles. Therefore, air ambulance needs to be organized into a uniform professional process, with regular training, testing and standardization.
On this occasion, experts focused on exchanging organizational models, mission activation mechanisms, patient assessment and preparation, medical team organization, equipment, resuscitation care in the flight environment and practical experience in island missions, search and rescue and United Nations missions. The Institute of Air Defense Medicine - Air Force coordinates with consulting agencies to plan research, training, exercises, and gradually improve air emergency procedures.
