Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances, helicopters and other means of emergency transport including ground ambulance and maritime transfers.
Examples include civilian EMS vehicles, civilian aeromedical helicopter services, and military air ambulances. This term also covers the transfer of patients from the battlefield to a treatment facility or from one treatment facility to another by medical personnel, such as from a local hospital to another medical facility which has adequate medical equipment.
In Asia, according to Aeromedical Global (M) Sdn Bhd, medical evacuations via air ambulance can be performed via a single or dual stretched setup. According to patients medical condition, Emergency Air Ambulances will be equipped with relevant equipment (ventilators, Portable O2 Concentrator etc).
History
The first medical transport by air was recorded in Serbia in the autumn of 1915 during the First World War. One of the ill soldiers in that first medical transport was Milan Rastislav Štefánik, a Slovak pilot-volunteer who was flown to safety by French aviator Louis Paulhan.
The United States Army used this lifesaving technique in Burma toward the end of World War II with Sikorsky R-4B helicopters. The first helicopter rescue was by 2nd Lt Carter Harman, in Japanese-held Burma, who had to make several hops to get his Sikorsky YR-4B to the 1st Air Commando Group's secret airfield in enemy territory and then made four trips from there between April 25 and 26 to recover the American pilot and four injured British soldiers, one at a time. The first medivac under fire happened in Manila in 1945 when five pilots evacuated 75–80 soldiers one or two at a time.
See also
- Aeromedical evacuation
- Air ambulance
- Air medical services
- Casualty evacuation
- "Medevac bill" (Australia, 2019)
- Medivac, Australian television series
- Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society
References
- "Medevac". Merriam-Webster. 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- GmbH, Vendana. "Blog | Air ambulance | Repatriation from abroad". www.medical-air-service.com. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- "Emergency medical evacuations". www.uhcglobal.com. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
- "Veliki rat - Avijacija". rts.rs. RTS, Radio televizija Srbije, Radio Television of Serbia.
- L'homme-vent, special issue of L'Ami de Pézenas, 2010
- Fries, Patrick. When I Have Your Wounded: The Dustoff Legacy (DVD), Arrowhead Films, 2013.
- Conner, Roger. Medevac From Luzon, Air & Space Magazine, July 2010.
External links
- Association of Air Medical Services
- Landing in Hell: Army Medevac Today - slideshow by Life magazine
Medical evacuation often shortened to medevac or medivac is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances helicopters and other means of emergency transport including ground ambulance and maritime transfers An AW109 helicopter evacuates a patient from the Tatra mountains in Slovakia Examples include civilian EMS vehicles civilian aeromedical helicopter services and military air ambulances This term also covers the transfer of patients from the battlefield to a treatment facility or from one treatment facility to another by medical personnel such as from a local hospital to another medical facility which has adequate medical equipment In Asia according to Aeromedical Global M Sdn Bhd medical evacuations via air ambulance can be performed via a single or dual stretched setup According to patients medical condition Emergency Air Ambulances will be equipped with relevant equipment ventilators Portable O2 Concentrator etc HistoryUSAF Sikorsky R 5 Helicopter evacuates casualties during the Korean WarAn aeromedical evacuation of injured patients by a C 17 from Balad Iraq to Ramstein Air Base Germany in 2007 The first medical transport by air was recorded in Serbia in the autumn of 1915 during the First World War One of the ill soldiers in that first medical transport was Milan Rastislav Stefanik a Slovak pilot volunteer who was flown to safety by French aviator Louis Paulhan The United States Army used this lifesaving technique in Burma toward the end of World War II with Sikorsky R 4B helicopters The first helicopter rescue was by 2nd Lt Carter Harman in Japanese held Burma who had to make several hops to get his Sikorsky YR 4B to the 1st Air Commando Group s secret airfield in enemy territory and then made four trips from there between April 25 and 26 to recover the American pilot and four injured British soldiers one at a time The first medivac under fire happened in Manila in 1945 when five pilots evacuated 75 80 soldiers one or two at a time See alsoAeromedical evacuation Air ambulance Air medical services Casualty evacuation Medevac bill Australia 2019 Medivac Australian television series Shock Trauma Air Rescue SocietyReferences Medevac Merriam Webster 2012 Retrieved 27 January 2012 GmbH Vendana Blog Air ambulance Repatriation from abroad www medical air service com Retrieved 2024 09 24 Emergency medical evacuations www uhcglobal com Retrieved 2024 11 08 Veliki rat Avijacija rts rs RTS Radio televizija Srbije Radio Television of Serbia L homme vent special issue of L Ami de Pezenas 2010 Fries Patrick When I Have Your Wounded The Dustoff Legacy DVD Arrowhead Films 2013 Conner Roger Medevac From Luzon Air amp Space Magazine July 2010 External linksLook up medevac in Wiktionary the free dictionary Association of Air Medical Services Landing in Hell Army Medevac Today slideshow by Life magazine
