Medical Evacuation: Saving lives, helping families

Chris Hutton and his wife Julie 

A first-year med student didn’t know that his family membership with AirMed would come into play one day in early 2014

Sandy Kinkade Hutton has been an AirMed member for the past eight years. When she married Kevin Hutton in 2011, she added both her husband and stepson, Chris, onto her membership.

Chris Hutton is a first year med student at American University of the Caribbean located on Saint-Martin island in the Caribbean. Chris had experienced inability to urinate for several days, and finally made a decision along with his wife, Julie, who is a French citizen, to go to the local hospital to be checked by a doctor.

During what would be fairly routine treatment in any metropolitan medical center, the island medical staff was unable to place a catheter and traumatized Chris’s urethra. Then they managed to slice off a segment of a plastic catheter inside Chris’ bladder. His situation went from bad to worse within hours with concerns of peritonitis mounting. “The island surgeon said he had sliced off the tip of the catheter.” It wasn’t until we were back in the U.S. that the urologist told us it was a foot long piece of catheter,” Sandy said.

After the “oops” moment with the catheter, the Hutton’s knew they needed to get Chris off that island and to a higher level of medical care back in the United States. Sandy told him to make the call to AirMed.

Once the call to AirMed was made, AirMed put its operation in motion. “We talked to AirMed the entire time. We heard from them through email and through phone calls, they kept us informed every step of the way,” Sandy recalls.

Chris states "Lying in pain in a bed at night there at the island's hospital, it was the worst feeling, to feel a million miles away from home. Once the crews arrived, everything changed. I knew from the instant they walked in that I was safe, and on the road to recovery."

AirMed arrived, and Chris was transported to the University of Miami Hospital early the next morning. Because it was an international flight, U.S. Customs came to the ramp to check all passports. Chris was transported by ambulance to the hospital. “AirMed even arranged for a taxi to take Julie to the hospital when she was finished with Customs. It was just a level of completeness—AirMed saw to it that nobody was left stranded.” said Sandy.

Chris was taken into surgery in Miami to remove the catheter and assess the situation. A new catheter was inserted and remained in place for 3 days. It was removed, and Chris and Julie were able to return to St. Martin to resume his medical school studies with a new understanding of what it is like to be the patient.

Kevin and Sandy Kinkade Hutton

“The thing that makes this entire event even more remarkable,” Sandy continued, “is that I was a flight nurse for 13 years, and Kevin was a flight physician. I am a past President of the Association for Air Medical Services (AAMS), and Kevin is the current Chairman of MedEvac Foundation International. We really know this industry, inside and out. Neither of us ever, in a million years, thought we’d need to use our AirMed membership. It was SUCH a relief knowing that one call took care of everything.”

“As a flight nurse, I remember arriving at hospitals and the sigh of relief on people’s faces when the flight crew would show up,” Sandy said. “For the first time, I was on the other end of that scenario. I was on the patient side, and I knew professionals were on their way to get Chris off the island and that they were fully able to take care for him. It was such a relief once I knew the medical crew was on that island.”

Dr. Kevin Hutton added, “We want to really stress the fact that you never think it’s going happen to you. You simply never know when something like this will happen. Had we not had the AirMed membership, we’re not sure how this whole thing would have transpired.”

Sandy said, “I’ve seen so many times where people think their health insurance will cover this type of thing and it doesn’t. I’ve kept my AirMed membership all this time because you’d like to think that healthcare is good everywhere, especially on an island known for attracting tourists, but it is not.”

Chris and his family knew that AirMed had their back. Since he’s been back at school, Sandy has helped Chris write a protocol for the medical school he attends to try and put some sort of medevac membership policy in place. “ In the event of a medical emergency such as this, being prepared is the key,” she said. Chris commented, "I don't know what we would have done without AirMed membership. I am so grateful that my family is covered for the future."

Kevin added “We will NEVER be without an AirMed card.” Several of the Hutton’s family members are also new AirMed members.

Be Safe During Spring Break. A Guide for Parents and Students

From Moxie Health

While the biggest problems facing most of the thousands of spring breakers headed to the beach in the next few weeks will be hangovers and sunburn, things can happen, and kids and parents should be prepared.

Before anyone takes off for South Padre Island, Lake Havasu or Cancun, it’s a good idea to set some up some safeguards — and have a plan if something does go wrong. Communication is the first to-do on most spring break safety lists. Know when your kid is leaving, where they’re staying and who they’re going with, and ask them to check in by phone on a pre-arranged schedule.

 If you are the spring breaker, have everyone program the emergency contact information for each member of your group into their phones to avoid panic and delay if something does happen.

Be insured for health emergencies

This is especially important if kids are traveling out of the United States. Many student health insurance plans will not cover injuries sustained out of the country and worse, medical evacuation is incredibly expensive, as much as $100,000 for an international airlift by jet and $50,000 domestically. You can buy both health insurance and medical evacuation insurance to cover travel health emergencies.

“We have a great product we hope you will never have to use,” says Sarah Hanley, director of corporate communications for AirMed. With one call, AirMed will dispatch a medically-equipped jet to evacuate an injured kid back home, not just to the nearest acceptable facility, from anywhere on the globe. The company also has a 24/7 medical logistics team that can give referrals, consultations and prescription assistance for sick or injured people abroad. AirMed also provides transport between domestic hospitals and specialty facilities for treatment. AirMed offers short- and long-term student, individual, and family coverage, with costs ranging from $115-$400.

Read the complete Spring Break Safety article at Moxie Lady Online.

Most Dangerous Countries for Drivers

A new study from the University of Michigan maps global fatalities from car accidents.

By Derek Thompson, The Atlantic

Driving a car is safer than ever for the simple reason that cars are safer than ever—thanks to features like seat belts, air bags, and electronic stability control. That's one reason why deaths per miles driven have plummeted around the developed world in the five decades since Ralph Nader published Unsafe at Any Speed. In fact, the U.S. used to be the safest country for drivers among all OECD countries in the early 1970s. By the middle of the last decade, the rest of the world had caught up.

This week, a new study (pdf) from the Transportation Research Initiative at the University of Michigan looks at global driving fatalities with up-to-date World Health Organization data. Around the world, deaths in fatal car crashes are 1/6th as likely as dying from a common health problem, like heart disease. In the U.S., where road crashes account for just 2 percent of deaths, individuals are 13 times more likely to die from cancer.

Read the Full Article at The Atlantic website.

When a business trip turns deadly: how one man made it home alive

Cliff Hawk, owner and president of Texas company KnightHawk Engineering shares the remarkable story of his near-death experience and the AirMed transport that helped get him the care he desperately needed.

"WHERE AM I?"

I suddenly awoke in a hospital bed and immediately noticed everyone was speaking in a language I did not understand. Then to my surprise my two boys and wife gathered around the bed side. I was on a ventilator and could not speak. My wife and sons started relaying the events that had occurred, starting with:

“You are in Seoul, South Korea in the University Hospital.” The story unfolded over the next week, and to this day, I can’t believe the story was about me and the struggle my family had.

Mr. Hawk shared this photo of him being taken aboard
AirMed's Hawker medical jet en route to Seoul, South Korea

Traveling for my company, Knighthawk, I arrived in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (UB) the capital city, at Genghis Khan Airport, then boarded a company plane for a 2.5 hour flight out into the Great Gobi Desert. The job site was at one of the largest copper and gold mines in the world. I started feeling under the weather, and the next morning I decided I better go to the site clinic. Within a matter of hours I had high fever, and it was decided that I must be air evacuated to a major clinic.

"I GOT WORSE."

All of my major organs began to shut down. The Mongolians called the U.S. embassy to start paperwork to transport my body to Houston. They told my wife and sons that I would die, but my wife and family refused to accept it.

My wife injected her knowledge with the help of Houston doctors into the situation.

Changes were made and against the Mongolian doctors’ advice, my wife and sons made the prayerfully thought out decision to life flight me via AirMed to Seoul, South Korea.

GETTING HOME VIA AN AIRMED PLANE

I arrived into Seoul at death’s door, and was immediately taken to the Seoul National University Hospital and put into the Intensive Care facility. I made it through the night and in four days had another major surgery. Soon, my vital signs went to normal, and the doctors said I could be medically evacuated back to Houston.

The last conversation with the doctors in Seoul the night before I left was surreal. “We have no idea why you are still on this earth and how you recovered.”

After six ambulance trips, two major surgeries and two air evacuations, I made it home to Houston alive. Study my story and realize that things can change in a moment. Thank you to AirMed and the rest of the people who helped to save my life.  --Cliff Hawk

Transporting a comatose patient, complicated issues arise

DULUTH, Minn. -- Pakistani officials agree with the family of comatose Pakistani student Muhammad Shahzaib Bajwa that he should remain at Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center for treatment.

"That's what we have said is give this boy a chance, because definitely the medical facilities here are much better than in Pakistan," said Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, the Pakistani general consul in Chicago.

But as of Friday, exactly two weeks before Bajwa's student visa will expire, the U.S. State Department still hadn't answered the consulate's request that Bajwa's stay be extended until his condition stabilizes, Tirmizi said.

The recovery to that point could take more than a year, said Bajwa's brother, Shahraiz Bajwa, in an interview earlier this week.

Shahraiz, 22, who immediately flew to the United States from Pakistan after learning about the accident, wants his brother kept at St. Mary's because of the superior quality of care here, he said this week. But he's also concerned that his brother might not survive the long flight.

That's possible, an official for a company that specializes in such flights said.

"We don't have data about deaths in flights, but it has happened, yes," said Sarah Hanley, director of corporate communications for Alabama-based AirMed International.

AirMed, which transfers all international patients for the Mayo Clinic, has transported patients who were in comas, Hanley said. And distance is not an issue.

"We have transported patients from Minnesota to places such as Pakistan, or vice versa," Hanley said. "It is possible and done quite often, transports of that long-distance scope."

Read reporter John Lundy's Full Article here.

Travel and Health News, the latest issue is out

AirMed is there not only when you need us, but where you need us.

In this issue of Travel+Health, AirMed's member newsletter:

• How does AirMed work?
• A CEO's business trip turns terrifying
• The Number One Traveler's Health Issue 
• Our members sound off, and more!
  

Follow this link to see the full AirMed News. 

Why CVS Isn't Selling Cigarettes Anymore

CVS/Caremark announced this morning that it will stop selling tobacco products starting October 1. 

The pharmacy chain said selling cancer-causing products was incompatible with its overall mission of improving health, both through its pharmacies and its MinuteClinic walk-in primary care centers. 

The company will forgo $2 billion in annual tobacco sales by no longer carrying the number-one cause of preventable death. 

"We have about 26,000 pharmacists and nurse practitioners helping patients manage chronic problems like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease, all of which are linked to smoking," Larry J. Merlo, chief executive of CVS, told the New York Times. "We came to the decision that cigarettes and providing healthcare just don't go together in the same setting."

Read the Full Story of this important health decision by a major pharmacy chain in The Atlantic.