459th medical teams come together at 30,000 feet in the air

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Katie Spencer
  • 459th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. --  The 459th Air Refueling Wing's Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and Aeromedical Staging Squadron work together 30,000 feet from the ground with one purpose - to save lives.

The Critical Care Air Transport Team is a special unit assigned to the ASTS and augments the AES mission. These two units showcased their abilities to work together during a training mission to Texas and California, March 22- 24.

The CCATT is a three-person team comprised of a physician, critical care nurse, and respiratory therapist. The main focus of the AES is to transport stabilized patients, so when a wounded person is critically ill, the special team comes into play. The critical care team has the resources to turn any transport aircraft into an aerial intensive care unit and is experienced in the care of patients with burns, respiratory failure, multiple organ failure, multi-system shock and other life-threatening injuries.

Typically, the mini ICU team, trains on the ground and goes over simulated scenarios and patients. They do drills which involve utilizing their skill-sets, but, being airborne is ideal in the success of training the CCATT.

"It's all easy to learn from a book," said Maj. Patrick Falvey, a CCATT nurse for the 459 ASTS. "But, when you're actually in the air and stuff starts to happen, the more experience you gain, the easier it is to care for your patients in a real-world mission."

The training the team receives in the airframe ranges from logistical planning with the equipment and medicine to actual patient care for the duration of the flight to communication with team members. Also, training includes working with the AES on treating patients. The AES provide expertise in working with the aircraft systems and setting up the plane to load and offload the patients. They also assist with the oxygen and electrical systems of the jet.

"We can't do everything we need to do by ourselves," said Falvey. "We need to have an (AES) crew to work with because they understand what we need to do; and, it takes all of us working together to pull off this patient-care mission."

There are some challenges with two different units meshing under one roof of a KC-135 Stratotanker, but not for this CCATT.

"Some people see challenges, I see opportunity," said Falvey. "They get new people and we get new people who need to be trained. They run some of their inflight and patient emergencies, and we have a physician they can use. At times, we might need some more bodies and involve them. It is a win-win and there is an opportunity for everyone to learn."

While the personnel may not pose as a challenge, the atmosphere of being in a plane makes the training a little more difficult, said Senior Airman Jasmine Simms, a respiratory therapist of the CCATT.

She said the training has a lot to do with the ears and being able to communicate with the patients and members of the team. She went on to say the noise of the aircraft makes it hard to hear the breathing of the patients and the alarms of the machines which indicate medical conditions.

Another challenge of working in an aircraft as opposed to the ground is the aircraft itself.

The KC-135 is more challenging than the C- 130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III with enplaning, deplaning and actually caring for the patients inside, said Col. Vanessa Mattox, commander of the 459 AES. The KC-135 has the most problems with temperature control, less space and less lighting. This is why the 459 AES and ASTS have a unique working relationship; they work in the most challenging airframe for these types of training missions, she said.

The opportunities and overcoming challenges facing the CCATT are why establishing a relationship with the AES is important for effective training so when the alarm sounds and the units are deployed to save a life, they will be set up for success.

"We are all here to take care of wounded warriors," said Falvey.