Air Ambulance Technology Evolution Over a the Last Ten Years

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In just the past decade alone, technology has come so far, and it is only getting better. This is great news- especially for the medical flight transport field. Better technology equals better equipment that can handle any type of emergency.
Just recently, Air Critical Care LLC (ACC) received a call to transport a pregnant woman from her Bahamas Cruise in Nassau back to her hometown in Long Island, New York due to severe pregnancy-related issues. Because there was a lack of advanced healthcare options in the Bahamas, Tracey Sonntag and her husband Michael were forced to be transported back to New York by a private air ambulance. The emergency situation called for prompt and advanced services to help keep Tracey and the baby from progressively getting worse. Tracey was diagnosed with preeclampsia and an obstetrical partial previa where the placenta is laying over the cervix and generates blood pools and can lead to massive bleeding as the cervix opens. Air Critical Care LLC was alerted along with ACC’s new medical director, Blane M. Crandall, who specializes in internal medicine and air medical transport of high-risk obstetric patients.
Dr. Crandall was quickly notified about the transport and knew exactly what equipment he would need on the 2.5 hour long flight. Thanks to the company’s recently implemented technological ultrasound equipment, the equipment was able to closely monitor both the baby’s and the mom’s heart. The General Electric LOGIQ Book XP Ultrasound fits the description of how advanced our world’s technology has become and how the air ambulance technology and equipment itself can offer life-saving insights to help doctors make major decisions during emergency situations.
The compact ultrasound is designed to provide boundary-less scanning, integrated networking solutions, versatile probe technology and exceptional image quality. The interface and applications associated with the equipment are easy for doctors to use, along with the equipment’s portable and ergonomic design.  
In speaking with Dr. Crandall about the new equipment that he has utilized on pregnant patients, he said, “As the transferring physician, my experience has revealed many obstacles in the transport of pregnant patients. First, because of the low number of transport agencies available in low socioeconomic areas, as well as areas that are very limited geographically --- there are entire regions that offer air ambulance medical transport options for pregnant patients.” Thanks to equipment like the GE LOGIQ Book XP, Dr. Cradnall was able to successfully monitor Tracey’s condition and treat her accordingly.
Now only time will tell what new technology will enhance the aero ambulance field in the next decade.