Adult / Pediatrics Team
Adult and pediatric flights are accomplished by a nurse/paramedic team, and our paramedics are also employees of EMS agencies in the surrounding areas. Full-time, dedicated flight respiratory therapists are also available if needed.
Members of the team also fulfill the role of airway management on the C-Arrest Team at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital, located next to the University Hospital.
AirMed members have conducted and/or participated in research surrounding adult and pediatric out-of-hospital RSI and the use of the intubating laryngeal mask airway as a rescue device for failed intubation. AirMed has been cited as having the highest out-of-hospital intubation success rate in the nation, and the airway education program has demonstrated increased success and decreased complications with rapid sequence intubation (RSI). As part of the program's commitment to ongoing and continuing education, approximately 16 team members have attended the AMTC for each of the last several years. AirMed personnel serve as representatives on the multi disciplinary trauma peer review and process improvement committees at both The University of Utah Hospitals, and Primary Children's Medical Center, as well as most of the local, regional, and state EMS councils.
Area of service/Availability 24/7
AirMed is based in northern Utah and is available 24 hours a day seven days a week. AirMed provides service to the Intermountain West region which consists of the following states: Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Colorado, and we can go as far as the west of the Mississippi river.
Number of flights per month/per year
The average number of transports per month is approximately 240 flights. And approximately 2500 flights a year ranging from trauma, burns, cardiac, and other multiple medical problems.
Director and Medical Control
Dr. Eric Swanson, an Emergency physician at the University of Utah, is the Medical Director of AirMed. Dr. Scott McIntosh is the Associate Medical Director. They provide the knowledge and guidance in the direction of standards of care. Brian Simpson is the Program Director and Andrew Knapp is the interim Chief Flight Nurse of AirMed, and provides operational oversite.
Modes of transport: ground, fixed wing and rotor wing
Modes of transport used at AirMed are ground, jet-powered rotor wing and turboprop fixed wing. University Healthcare Hospital is the home base for AirMed. At the hospital the team has immediate access to a rotor wing helicopter for a quick response time. AirMed has a total of 4 helicopters with three other remote bases throughout northern Utah. A fourth base has newly been added in Rock Springs, Wyoming. When a transport request is made and the distance is greater than 160 miles one way, a turboprop fixed wing Pilatus will be used for the transport for a quicker response time.
