Unattended Hoist Extraction of an Intubated Patient From Mountainous Terrain

Miles J McDonough; Richard O Duncan; Ronald L Brown; Andrew M Luks; Anna E Condino

doi:10.1016/j.amj.2020.01.006

Unattended Hoist Extraction of an Intubated Patient From Mountainous Terrain

Air Med J. 2020 May-Jun;39(3):214-217. doi: 10.1016/j.amj.2020.01.006. Epub 2020 Feb 12.

Authors

Miles J McDonough¹, Richard O Duncan², Ronald L Brown³, Andrew M Luks⁴, Anna E Condino⁵

Affiliations

¹ Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team, Snohomish, WA; University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team, Snohomish, WA; Snohomish County Fire District #26, Gold Bar, WA.
³ Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team, Snohomish, WA; Snohomish County Fire District #26, Gold Bar, WA; North Sound Emergency Medicine, Everett, WA.
⁴ Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
⁵ Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

PMID: 32540115
DOI: 10.1016/j.amj.2020.01.006

Abstract

Airway management and maintenance of adequate ventilation during a patient's unattended helicopter rescue hoist extraction present unique challenges to the air medical provider. We present the case of a critically injured patient requiring emergent airway management and subsequent extrication via hoist from challenging, near-vertical terrain, which illustrates the logistical challenges of providing high-quality, neuroprotective mechanical ventilation in an austere air medical scenario.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Air Ambulances*
Humans
Intubation, Intratracheal*
Male
Mountaineering / injuries*
Rescue Work / methods*
Young Adult