UCAN: Air Medical Transport and the Transfer of the Trauma Patient

Integrating Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) or Air Medical Transport (AMT) programs into urban trauma centers is crucial for extending the reach of trauma care. The University of Chicago Aeromedical Network (UCAN) is a vital link for rural communities and critical access hospitals to distant emergency and trauma care. Although the immediate value of HEMS in densely populated areas like Chicago may not be apparent, HEMS is the only means by which a significant portion of the US population gains timely access to level I or level II trauma centers and improves patient survival rates. This chapter focuses on how HEMS programs augment trauma care capabilities using UCAN as an example. The chapter covers the intricacies of AMT, interfacility transfers, and scene transports, offering a comprehensive understanding crucial for the effective development and success of trauma centers. UCAN, as a hospital-based air medical program, employs a single aircraft with a pilot and two flight nurses, facilitating the transport of trauma patients from local area hospitals, distant facilities, and directly from the scene of injury. The importance of understanding HEMS, interfacility transfers, and scene transports cannot be overstated as they are essential to the development and success of trauma centers. Introducing a HEMS program significantly reduces transport time to definitive care and allows for advanced prehospital interventions at the scene of injury. UCAN and UChicago Medicine Trauma Center have fully integrated systems that ensure efficient utilization of resources, simplify communication for referring facilities, and extend the trauma center’s service area to reach distant scene trauma patients. With a nurse-nurse team configuration, UCAN has proven to be ideal for managing complicated and critically injured patients, reinforcing the indispensable role of HEMS in enhancing trauma care capabilities.