Air Corps runs 44 air ambulance missions

FORTY-FOUR missions were carried out by the Air Corps air ambulance service this year, including six in the Government jet.

Eight of the missions were neo-natal, 11 involved organ retrieval and 25 involved transferring patients from one hospital to another, usually to or from Britain.

The figures were released by the Defence Forces yesterday.

Recent cases included an Irish child transferred from a British hospital to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. The helicopter was used last Saturday for organ retrieval, which involves transporting a vital organ to a patient awaiting transplant.

Patients or organs are transported in one of eight helicopters, six Augusta Westland 139s or two Eurocopter 135s. In situations where helicopters are unsuitable, such as in poor weather, fixed-wing aircraft are used, including the Casa CN135.

For patients requiring full life support, the Government Learjet 45 may be used. The seats can be removed from the aircraft and within an hour it can be modified to allow a Lifeport stretcher system to be installed in the cabin.

While the Air Corps has been providing the 24-hour service informally for a number of years, a formal service agreement was signed with the Department of Health and Children in November 2007.

Last year, 87 missions were carried out by the service, taking an average of three hours each.

Defence Forces spokesman Capt Pat O’Connor said the work of the Air Corps was vital in cases where speed was critical.

In each case, a HSE area ambulance controller decided on whether to request air support, he said. Then the Air Corps would decide which aircraft to deploy, depending on the situation, and a HSE medical team was brought on board with the patient.