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UAB Blazes the Skies
The 500mph Ambulance: UAB’s Critical Care Transport jet
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Ashley Hagood doesn't remember her firstairplane ride. The 23-year old North Alabama woman was unconscious, aboard the University of Alabama at Birmingham Critical Care Transport jet, as it made amad dash from Panama City, Fla., to Birmingham, Ala., in an attempt to save herlife.
It was supposed to be a week of sun, sand and surf for Ashley's extended family. Three generations of the Hagoods were vacationing onFlorida's Gulf Coast. Ashley had even brought her new boyfriend, Mark. But onthe second night of the trip, their idyllic vacation became a nightmare.
Ashley woke in extreme pain. Abdominal pain unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Maybe it was food poisoning, but she didn't think food poisoning hurt this bad. There was an incredible pressure on her chest, her stomach was heaving. The family hustled her to a local hospital where physicians made a surprising discovery: She had a large mass on her liver that had ruptured. And she was bleeding internally, still in great pain.
"I heard them say internal bleeding, mass, liver...andI figured I wasn't going to make it," Ashley recalls. "I told everybody in my family good-bye."
The local hospital knew that Ashley needed specialized care- and she needed it fast. The UAB Critical Care Transport team was already making preparations to fly to Panama City to collect a different patient, but Ashley took precedence. The team, two pilots and two flight nurses, was assembled at the Birmingham airport, prepping their flying intensive care unit (a Cessna Citation Bravo jet), when the call came in.
The crew was in Panama City in 40 minutes, flying right at 500mph. "I hadn't seen anyone that pale," flight nurse Regena Bragwell, RN, remembers thinking as they loaded their patient. With partner Chana Jones, RN, she pumped fluids and pain medications into Ashley, and toldthe pilots, "Fly fast."
They did. The return flight, Ashley's first, took just 35 minutes with favorable winds and altitude. Ground transportation between hospitals and airports took longer than it did to make the 235-mile trip to Birmingham. Her parents and Mark made the long drive back in near-silence,wondering if she'd still be alive when they got to UAB.
She was rushed to intensive care where the flight crewworked with UAB's Medical Emergency Team and the ICU staff to stabilize her,infusing blood and monitoring her vital signs. Then liver surgeon Steve Bynon,M.D., removed a football-sized mass, a benign tumor called an adenoma, that wasentwined around her liver. Bynon, who says Ashley is lucky to have made it to the operating table alive, says the young woman should now make a complete recovery.
A few weeks after her discharge from UAB, Ashley came back and met the team at the CCT hanger at the Birmingham airport. She chatted with Regena and Chana as they recounted the trip, and got a tour of the jet she doesn't remember with pilots Justin Koenig and Jeff Cotton. Her mom Joyce took some photos, and thanked each member of the team who'd played a part in saving her daughter.
When Seconds Count... Emergency Field Care
This is the first piece in a four-part series focusing on some of emergency medicine’s most advanced field care. The second piece will examine Cardiac Arrest Management and the Lucas Device, the third piece will look at tactical medic teams/training and disaster response, and the fourth will examine Excited Delirium “What The Medic Needs To Know.”
Cypress Creek - Unconventional EMS
Cypress Creek Emergency Medical Services has emerged among the most progressive operations across the nation, a trendsetter always reaching to deliver the cutting edge in critical care. “They are well-respected in the industry,” said Ken Bouvier, Past President of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. “They are always looking at how they can improve the quality of life in their community. I’m always looking at what they’re doing.” Staying forward in pre-hospital medicine, said CCEMS Medical Director Dr. Levon Vartanian, simply is a soulful calling for the 35-year-old, $14 million operation, which is funded by public and private monies.
EMSystems, LLC Acquires Med Media, Inc.
EMSystems, LLC and Med Media, Inc. announced that EMSystems has acquired Med Media. Med Media is a leader in EMS, healthcare and emergency management software solutions. Together, the combined company will provide one of the most comprehensive emergency preparedness and response solutions and services offerings, across more markets in the United States, than any other provider in the industry. Med Media is the leading provider of public safety solutions for EMS, fire and police agencies with more than 1000 agencies including 15 regional and statewide software deployments. With this acquisition, more than 15,000 health care providers in 43 states, covering more than 75% of the U.S. population, will use the combined EMSystems solutions. “The complementary product capabilities and strong EMS focus that Med Media brings to our combined company will drive significant advantages for our customers,” stated Andy Nunemaker, EMSystems CEO. “This acquisition enables EMSystems to offer a fully integrated suite of EMS and emergency preparedness solutions that spans across the emergency response and preparedness continuum.”
Hartwell Medical Creates The Next Generation CombiCarrier II™
If, in fact, our first and foremost goal as caregivers is to not cause further harm or discomfort to our patients, then we must look closely at how we move and manipulate patients suspected of having neck, back, pelvis, hip or spine injuries. We all learned from our basic anatomy class that the human spine is not a straight pole, but a very well engineered curving structure designed to protect the spinal column that runs through it and at the same time support many structures in our torso, as well as our head. For most adults our head is equivalent to a 10-12 lb. bowling ball which sits atop the spinal column where relatively small vertebrae support the skull with the help of many muscles and tendons. This allows for great flexibility and movement of our head, but also represents the area of the spine that is the least protected by other body structures. The vertebrae grow in size as you move down the spinal column which directly reflects the amount of torso weight being supported at the different levels of the spine. This grand design means your lumbar vertebrae are noticeably larger than your cervical vertebrae. No matter what their size is, all vertebrae can be injured. Larger skeletal bones, like those in your pelvis, can also fracture and when they do you want to minimize movement of these damaged structures.
Read more: Hartwell Medical Creates The Next Generation CombiCarrier II™
