Great-great-niece saved by helicopter.

[gsganzer]

I've been medevac'd myself about 25 years ago after a logging accident. Compound leg fracture that resulted in a torn artery and severe bleeding. The poor guy in the chopper had to keep his hand inside my leg the whole time, pinching off the artery. I just remember it as being loud and hot the whole flight. Probably saved my life and definitely saved my leg. I never considered the annual membership but maybe I'll look into it. I know a bunch of rural folks that purchase it as well as folks that go on overseas safari's and purchase Global Rescue or similar evacuation plans.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

The local med evac flight plan is over my 18 acres when it is headed south. South of us is Indianapolis where you can have every specialist under the sun and they are usually rated top 10 in the US for their area. I always say a little prayer when I see that chopper going like a bat out of ****. Drive time would be 2.5 hours. Flight time I would imagine is 45 min tops. Of course you land right at the hospital and I am sure the doctor is waiting for you on the helipad.

Glad that we have such a service, hope like **** I never need to ride on that particular aircraft.

Glad this one worked out well!

Not doctors; nurses. That's who is almost always IN the helicopter too (at least in my experience).

 

[dmccarty]

Guess I should check if our health care insurance covers copter flights....

We have military and private copters fly over our place every day, sometimes multiple flights per day. The Blackhawks and Apaches are flying over to get the crew flight time and we see them frequently. I get up to see them almost every time I hear them. :laughing: The private copters we finally figured out have to be medical flights and we see them almost every day. We figured they are flying to a rural hospital to the west of us to pick up a patient to take to a better hospital in Raleigh.

A family member had a heart attack a year or so ago and was transported from their house to the hospital but an ambulance. More advanced care was needed so a copter was used to fly from the rural hospital to the better hospital. Unfortunately, there was bad weather and the copter could not fly so they had to wait. We were told that they do not transport cardiac patients by ground anymore and they had to go by air.

I was reading the "resume" of a surgeon the has operated on family members and found out he does pediatric surgery, sports medicine surgery, ER trauma surgery and was the guy who worked to bring in an air unit to the hospital. :shocked: This is a major research and teaching hospital with a Level I trauma center of which there are only six in NC. To say the guy has done some things is an understatement. :laughing::laughing::laughing: And unlike many doctors we have gone too, he is a very down to earth guy and not arrogant. :thumbsup:

Later,
Dan

 

[KYErik]

I'm glad they got her there in time and that she pulled through!!

Sept of 2009 I took the helicopter ride to Vanderbilt after I was T- boned while riding my motorcycle. I ended up losing my right leg just above the knee but I am thankful it was no worse (I was wearing a helmet- no other broken bones or significant injuries). The medivac probably saved at least 1.5 hours of drive time and the care I received in flight was excellent.

My health insurance policy (Humana) covered the helicopter flight cost without any issue (I think it was about $35K). About a year later, there was a medivac "salesman" in my car/home insurance office trying to "sell" the chopper ambulance insurance to people in the waiting area. I lifted my pant leg to show him my prosthetic leg and thanked him for his company's excellent service. He thanked me for the endorsement and turned to the other people around and mentioned that I was a good example of why the medivac insurance was a good investment. I spoke up and said that my regular health insurance covered the flight cost and then he began stammering/fidgeting a bit- I bet lots of people buy the special insurance without first checking to see if their health policy already covers it.

 

[ray66v]

Med evac is a wonderful thing, if it saves lives. Especially if, it's someone you know.

An interview with an ER doctor I recently saw, stated there has never been a study to find out if they really do make a difference.

Of course, if you live in the sticks, the chances are better, a helicopter ride will matter.

The evidence I have seen, based on this doctors interview, and my discussions with someone I know, who owns a large ambulance service, does suggest people are sometimes flown that do not need to be, just to pay for the helicopter.

That may be a necessary evil, to keep the equipment in operation.

But, it should all be studied, to determine if it's really making a difference. Because, it's a lot of money.

 

[roadhunter]

Not sure we need a study to tell us that taking an expedited mode of transportation to the hospital when in life threatening trouble saves lives.

 

[dickfoster]

Not sure we need a study to tell us that taking an expedited mode of transportation to the hospital when in life threatening trouble saves lives.

Zactly. LOL The basic idea is to get there the fastest way you possibly can because you just might not live to count the money you might have saved by taking the bus.

 

[dickfoster]

In a related story.

Local company to help reunite 'Fault in Our Stars' couple | KSDK.com

I saw this on my local news this morning. It's nice to know that some folks do still care.

 

[TheMan419]

Not sure if my health insurance would cover the chopper ride. However when we went over the pond to London we bough evac insurance. It would pay to get you back home if you need a medical flight home. Of course you would get world class care in London so no worries there, but getting home.... it was $10 per day of our trip, per person. Or you could pay like $400 for a year of coverage. This was not insurance to get you from the accident site to the hospital.

 

[ray66v]

Not sure we need a study to tell us that taking an expedited mode of transportation to the hospital when in life threatening trouble saves lives.

You didn't completely get what I was saying.

The ER doctor did think we need a study.

What you said is simplistic, it's not that simple.

It's not always faster either.

It can be very complicated.

Ambulances are already there, with first responders. There are times when they could already be on the way to the hospital, before the helicopter even takes off, to come there.

After waiting for the helicopter to arrive, the ambulance has to sometimes take the patient to another location, so there is a place to land. Where, again, they could already be going to the hospital.

The helicopter may also fly past the nearest hospital, to get to their hospital.

As I said, I know the owner of a larger ambulance service. I get a lot of information about what happens, that most people never hear.

People are flown, that are treated, and released.

And, people do seem to be getting flown, that don't need to be, to keep the money coming in.

Sometimes flying creates delays, instead of speed.

So, it does need to be studied.