Duke Life Flight

Duke Life Flight is the critical care air and ground transport programme of Duke University Health System. It is based in Durham, North Carolina. It is a hospital programme.

Services

The site lists helicopter transport, ground transport with advanced and critical care ambulances, a communications center, event medicine and a hospital code team. It serves adult, child and newborn patients, day and night. Ambulances carry the same kinds of patients as the aircraft when flying is not possible.

Aircraft and crew

The FAQ says the programme flies a Eurocopter EC-145. A flight has three crew members, which are two critical care providers and one pilot. The critical care providers do not fly the aircraft. The pilots and mechanics come from Metro Aviation. The helicopter lands on one of two rooftop helipads at Duke University Hospital. The site also says the programme is certified for instrument flight.

On board are many things found in an ICU. These include a ventilator, a cardiac monitor and defibrillator, drugs, airway kits and red blood cells for emergencies. The stretcher limit is 350 pounds.

Coverage area

Duke Life Flight covers all of North Carolina and parts of South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Facts

• Type: hospital programme of Duke University Health System
• Headquarters: Durham, North Carolina
• Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems, as stated on the site
• Pilots and mechanics provided by Metro Aviation

Other services

Duke Life Flight also covers events and runs a hospital code team. It offers a landing zone class, a ride along programme for students and medical staff, and tours of the aircraft and helipad by request. Its history page says the programme began in 1985.