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Aviation History
1988
1988 - 0937.PDF
ways and a population of 800,000, which mushrooms to about two million in the summer months as tourists visit the surrounding area, including Lake Garda to the north-west. Between July 20, 1987, and the end of January 1988 the helicopter responded to more than 230 calls. Only two were false alarms. Bad weather prevented its VFR operations on only seven days during this period. More than 65 per cent of the emergency calls attended by the helicopter are related to motor accidents. Flight witnessed the response to one such accident, in which an elderly lady was injured. Reports from the scene indicated that it was sufficiently serious to warrant the rapid assistance of the helicopter. Within 15min of the call the helicopter had picked up the woman 16km away, and was landing at the hospital, a few hundred metres from the casualty department. If the patient had suffered serious head injuries the helicop ter would have landed at another Verona hospital that has a specialist neurological ward. A doctor and two medics travel on heli copter missions. At the scene of the acci dent the doctor assesses the relative conditions of the injured, and takes only the most critical. Medics are drawn from the emergency care section of the hospital, and spend eight months training for the helicopter operation. Verona now has 15 trained medics. A medic on board the helicopter keeps in contact with the control room by VHF radio to facilitate preparation for particu lar treatment or diversion to a specialist Top right The area covered by the Verona EMS helicopter. Centre right The control room in the hospital complex oversees EMS operations. Right A last-minute briefing as the Ecureuil prepares to attend an accident hospital. Two vacuum-mattress stretchers are carried in the helicopter. These are soft and pliable until the air is sucked out, whereupon they become moulded rigidly to the shape of the patient, reducing the danger of aggravating spinal and neck injuries. The patient is carried feet- forward in the helicopter, with the doctor sitting near the head to monitor progress and administer medication. Extensive portable medical equipment is carried because, according to Professor Pinter, it is not just a case of getting the patient to hospital, but also of getting the hospital to the patient first. Four patients were dead before the arrival of the helicopter. None have died in transit. The helicopter now gives the hospital the chance to offer equal medical treatment to all whether the victim is in the centre of town or on a hillside, Pinter says. The helicopter is also used to transfer transplant organs and patients between hospitals, but most flights are made to emergencies within a 30km radius of base. More than 60 per cent of flights are made in the afternoon, and proportionately more take place at weekends and on public holidays. At least 75 per cent of the flights arrive at the scene of the accident within lOmin of call-out. All aspects of medical technology are continually improving, and Pinter believes that the helicopter service provided by his team will continue to play its full part in that trend. S3 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 9 April 1988 33
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