Watercraft as Overwater Ambulance Exchange Points to Enhance Air Medical Evacuation

Abstract

Ambulance exchange points are preidentified sites where patients are transferred between evacuation platforms while en route to enhanced medical care. We propose a new capability for maritime medical evacuation, which involves co-opting underway watercraft as overwater ambulance exchange points to transfer patients between medical evacuation aircraft. We partnered with the US Army's 25th Combat Aviation Brigade to demonstrate the use of Army watercraft as overwater ambulance exchange points. A manikin was transferred between 2 HH-60M medical evacuation Black Hawk helicopters conducting hoist operations over Army Logistics Support Vessel 3, which was traveling south of Honolulu, HI. The demonstration was enabled by a decision support system for dispatching aircraft, hoist stabilization technology, commercial satellite internet, military geospatial infrastructure applications, and digital medical documentation tools, the benefits of which are all discussed. Three extensions of the overwater ambulance exchange point are introduced, and civilian applications are considered.