AW169 medical fit
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The medical fit: Making G-CNLL mission ready
The final part of the process to bring your second helicopter to life and make it mission ready – the medical fit – is now underway.
The medical fit is the build in the rear cabin which enables us to bring the ‘hospital’ to your side. It includes the stretcher system, which provides almost 360-degree access to the patient, as well as all the frameworks and fixtures needed to contain our specialist lifesaving equipment. Essentially, it is all the components needed to turn your air ambulance into a fully kitted out critical care resource.
What is the medical fit?
The medical fit is the build in the rear cabin which enables us to bring the ‘hospital’ to your side. It includes the stretcher system, which provides almost 360-degree access to the patient, as well as all the frameworks and fixtures needed to contain our specialist lifesaving equipment. Essentially, it’s all the components needed to turn your air ambulance into a fully kitted out critical care resource.
What is considered?
The cabin of your aircraft arrives as a ‘blank canvas’. Every piece of equipment is then specifically positioned following careful design considerations to allow the clinical crew rapid access to kit. This ergonomic design allows the crew to quickly exit the aircraft upon landing at scene and monitor and treat the patient during flight. The cabin is tailored perfectly for the needs of your crew and patients. This is an evolution of other designs which was made in conjunction with valuable feedback from our clinicians, also allowing adaptability for future configurations so that individual elements of the medical fit can be easily adjusted.
This cabin stretcher provides almost 360 degree access to the patient and is integral to the medical fit out, your support today will help fund this vital unit.
A specialist translating seat allows the attending critical care paramedic to monitor the patient on route to hospital.
This unique bridge system with a specialist mounting frame allows the lifesaving Zoll X Series monitor and defibrillator to be mounted above the patient.
The key features
The first key part of the medical fit is the specialist cabin flooring. This has mounting rails and tracks embedded into it, allowing for internal frameworks to be slotted into place and the medical equipment to be fastened securely. The stretcher system is fitted slightly offcentre, its sliding and rotating platform makes loading and unloading a patient easier, as it can be angled and moved outside the aircraft door.
Beneath the stretcher there is also a storage solution of oxygen cylinders, used for patient care in flight. Most importantly, stretcher positioning provides the clinicians with almost 360 degrees to the patient for carrying out critical interventions during flight. Above the stretcher is the bridge system with a specialist mounting frame that allows the Zoll X Series, a monitor and defibrillator, to be mounted above the patient. The cabin also contains three fold-down seats and one translating seat, which allows the attending critical care paramedic seat adjustment to monitor the patient on route to hospital.
The fit also includes a digital communications system which allows the crew to speak to the HEMS desk and crews on scene whilst they’re in flight.
What’s new?
The medical fit of G-CNLL will have a few minor additions. These include a sharps bin mount under the head of the stretcher, an additional area for medical waste and an integrated shelf for preparing and administering medication during flight. The LUCAS machine, an automated CPR device, is also being relocated to behind the translating seat, again for ease of access.
The process
The medical fit, which takes around two months to complete is being carried out by Gama Aviation. All the fit and framework must undergo resilience testing, to make sure it can take the force generated in the unlikely event of a crash, and it must be certified by the Civil Aviation Authority. The medical fit is the final stage to bring your second helicopter to life, and once complete G-CNLL will be fully mission ready.
Do your bit for the medical fit so we can be there for you, when every minute matters
£0 a year comes from the government for our services. We rely on your generosity to keep your helicopter in the air.