Winching Inutbated patients

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HypoCaffeinic

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Hi everyone,
Can you please share your protocols regarding winching of intubated patients? Do you have more than one clinician on aircraft or single operator with aircrewman?
Send patient up in Stokes litter with ventilator whilst Paramedic holding tagline then winch up Paramedic if isolated area? Go up with patient and ventilator? Or go up with patient and bag them? My service is trying to write a procedure for this, we are single operator Paramedic with one aircrewman, Thanks
 
Get a disposable ventilator, like a Vortran, for the hoist.
 
Those vents are oxygen driven right?
 
Just curious, how often does that actually happen? Seems like lots of practical limitations
 
Interesting scenario.

HypoCaffeinic said:
Send patient up in Stokes litter with ventilator whilst Paramedic holding tagline then winch up Paramedic if isolated area? Go up with patient and ventilator? Or go up with patient and bag them?
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You mean only one trained medic present I assume. We used both Dept. of Forestry and Coast Guard choppers on air evacs. Medic goes up with the patient. Air tac only supplied flight service.
VentMonkey said:
Get a disposable ventilator, like a Vortran, for the hoist.
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Good call. Problem being those units cost a fortune. Capital expense item for many response agencies.

HypoCaffeinic said:
Those vents are oxygen driven right?
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Pneumatic powered, yes.

VFlutter said:
Just curious, how often does that actually happen? Seems like lots of practical limitations
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If memory serves we had two, maybe three. Up where I worked the tourists made cliff diving/plummeting, some sort of weird recreational thrill. Blown spleens / traumatic asphixia / other, with complications. And always expect potential respiratory distress with head injuries.

I'd say if your service isn't rolling in $$$, do some serious practice scenarios, tailoring a regimen to fit within your agency and responder capability. Riding tandem in a basket is tricky and needs practice with all procedures you expect to use.
We once spent a solid day with a CGAS chopper hovering while we worked out details on cliff rescues. (Thanks much much for some sterling service from those folks!)
 
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Tigger said:
SureVent/Vortran/GOVents cost about 130/unit and have a long shelf life.
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Price has come down a lot. That should be standard equipment for many response agencies, at least in outlying areas where you find yourself short handed in difficult complex situations like cliff rescues.
 
How much of a "fortune" can a vent be compared to the cost of the helicopter, crew, pre-hospital treatment, ER/Trauma team cost, OR, anesthesia, ICU, hospital ward and finally rehab before and after discharge home? Probably less than a quarter of a per cent of the entire bill from dispatch to discharge home.
 
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