The Area's Regional Resource for Aeromedical Transport!

Being the region's resource for aeromedical transport means being accessible to everyone. Area hospitals can count on LIFESTAR for their transport needs. Although based at UT Medical Center, LIFESTAR flies anywhere, including other area hospitals. In an average month, LIFESTAR, the aeromedical transport service for the University of Tennessee Medical Center, tends to approximately 200 patients. Its emergency medical helicopters, including two Bell 430s, a Bell 206 L4 and a Bell 407, allow for faster travel between its bases and the accident scene, increasing a patient’s chance of survival. The UT Medical Center is home to LIFESTAR. However, it has four other bases and a fifth base to open in 2008.

Patients of the helicopter emergency medical services can expect excellent patient-centered care from its flight paramedic and flight nurse teams. The aeromedical services provide transport throughout East Tennessee within a 150-mile radius of Knoxville. LIFESTAR is committed to serving the medical needs of the region through transport, care within the institution and outreach services and education. All LIFESTAR helicopters are able to give blood to its patients.

LIFESTAR is the aeromedical transport service of the University of Tennessee Medical Center that provides regional rapid transport of acutely injured or ill patients within a 150-mile radius of Knoxville. The program features two Bell 430 helicopters, which are medium twins capable of two-patient transport in most weather conditions. Each of the aircraft has cruise speeds of approximately 165 miles per hour.

Transport can be initiated by the request of medical or law enforcement personnel and can initiate from an accident site or from a referring hospital. Justifications for aeromedical transport include specialty service not available at the referring location, prolonged ground transport time and adverse road conditions.

Within minutes of receiving a request for transport, LIFESTAR and its team of Federal Aviation Administration licensed pilots and its flight paramedic and flight nurse teams are traveling to the accident site or medical facilities. Patients of the helicopter emergency medical services can expect compassionate patient-centered care and will be kept as comfortable as possible while blood pressure, heartbeat, respiration and other vital signs are monitored throughout the flight.

Such things as oxygen, medications, intravenous fluids, emergency release blood and special-needs equipment all are on board. The medical team may also perform 12 lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) and/or analyze blood chemistries in flight.

The LIFESTAR team aboard the emergency medical helicopter remains in constant contact with the receiving hospital in order to relay vital signs, estimate time of arrival and update the patient’s condition. Patients arrive at the UT Medical Center’s Level I Trauma Center for treatment.

LIFESTAR employs well-trained and experienced paramedics, nurses and pilots as well as mechanics that are experts on the Bell 430s. Each medical crew consists of a registered nurse and paramedic that are trained in flight physiology, scene skills and advanced medical techniques.

LIFESTAR is committed to serving the medical needs of the region through transport, care within the medical center and outreach services and education.

Automatic Acceptance Protocols
LIFESTAR will assist with the transfer arrangements for patients to the UT Medical Center. Just one call to the LIFESTAR communications center set to motion all of the requirements for transfers such as securing patient transportation and arranging bed placement and an accepting physician. This means more time for the outlying medical facility to concentrate on the patient’s care.

LIFESTAR’s Location
The UT Medical Center is home to LIFESTAR. However, However, it has four other bases and a fifth base to open in 2008. Most recently it opened its base in Morristown. Each base is strategically selected to serve the community. For example, the base in Sevierville meant a faster response time to emergencies in Sevier County. The new base allows emergency staff to respond from Sevier County instead of from Knoxville, which cuts the response time in half and, therefore, increases patient chances of survival. Of the 2,230 calls for LIFESTAR in 2004, 375 were made from Sevier County. The new base serves the area part time during the time when LIFESTAR receives the most calls – Friday through Sunday.