Critical Care Transport
ABOUT CRITICAL CARE TRANSPORT
Critical Care Transport is a hospital-based, inter-facility transport program for patients in the United States and worldwide who require transport from one medical facility to another. Launched in 1983 in Birmingham, Ala., Critical Care Transport has served more than 48,000 patients to date. Jet aircraft-based intensive care units provide advanced support during long-distance transports. For local transports, Critical Care Transport utilizes three mobile intensive care unit (ICU) vehicles that maintain sophisticated, uninterrupted ICU care. Patients do not have to be going to or from UAB Hospital.Critical Care Transport is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Complete arrangements for bedside-to-bedside transport – including ground transportation before and after air trips – are made by the Critical Care Transport coordinator. All coordinators are registered nurses or registered respiratory therapists.
One twin-engine jet is available at all times for immediate dispatch with the most appropriate transport team based on the patient's requirements. Other aircraft are available for long-distance or international transports. Three large, ground-based mobile ICU vehicles are used for local transports within approximately 125 miles of Birmingham.
Each adult medical transport team includes an ICU registered nurse (RN) and a registered respiratory therapist, and physicians are available 24/7. Each team member is specially trained in aeromedical physiology. For neonatal patients, a neonatal nurse practitioner or neonatal ICU RN and respiratory therapist will be part of the transport care team.
Critical Care Transport’s onboard medical capabilities include:
- Ventilator management
- BiPAP
- End-tidal CO2 monitoring
- Heliox
- High-flow oxygen
- Nitric oxide (adult and neonatal)
- Neonatal high-frequency ventilation
- Laboratory analysis
- Intra-aortic balloon pump
- Ventricular assist devices
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) management and cannulation
- Intra-cranial pressure monitoring
- Transvenous pacing
- Hypothermia management
CCT has transported over 700 patients on an intra-aortic balloon pump.
CCT has 10 neonatal nurse practitioners and all respiratory therapists are registered.
The jet can often fly above or around weather that helicopters cannot.
The jet interior was designed based on 20+ years of patient experience in the previous aircraft and features multiple dual systems for back-up.
CCT’s teams have traveled to 48 states and 38 countries.
In Guantanamo Bay to transport a patient home following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The jet was the first U.S. aircraft to fly a new route over Cuba getting the patient back to the U.S. 30 minutes sooner.
In 1983, CCT’s jet became the first civilian aircraft in the U.S. to have a liquid oxygen system allowing long distance ventilator transport.
CCT is able to do all types of mechanical ventilation, Bi-Pap, neonatal high-frequency ventilation and high flow oxygen.
All Medical Control physicians are attending physicians from UAB Hospital’s 1000 MD faculty representing all specialties.
Supporting a 100+ bed neonatal ICU, CCT transports infants from all over the region and assists other hospitals as well.
UAB15 at Birmingham’s Sloss Furnace, now a national landmark of the iron industry that gave rise to the city. This is CCT’s first bio-friendly ambulance capable of running off of bio-diesel.
Allowing our CCT patient to say good-bye to his wife before departing the referring hospital.
Dual patient configuration. CCT nurses have a minimum of 3 years of ICU experience and are required to have or obtain an advanced nursing certification.
All flights have two pilots who undergo simulator training at least annually.