Your support helps us provide vital care
Dear Supporter
How times have changed …
When I started as a doctor with CareFlight back
in 1986, the care we could provide was very
different. It could take an hour to even learn
about an accident. Now, it’s as quick as the 000
operators can type it in.
your family and friends.
Twenty minutes before sunset, we had to stop the missions and wheel the chopper into the hanger. Now, Night Vision Goggles have extended our flying hours far into the night.
There’s no doubt our ability to care for critically injured patients has moved in leaps and bounds. One mission illustrates perfectly just how far we have come over the past 24 years, and the real impact your contribution has had.
Trapped in the car
It was 8.02pm on August 14th last year when we saw the 000 message on the screen. A young man was trapped in his car on Sydney’s Olympic Drive, following multiple collisions. In a few minutes we were airborne and we arrived at the scene at 8.16pm, 14 minutes after the first alert.
In the old days, we would have had to climb to a high altitude and then carefully descend looking for a safe landing spot using the chopper lights. That could take anything up to half an hour - a huge delay when every minute counts. Now, with the Night Vision Goggles, CareFlight pilot Ian Smart was able to fly directly to the incident.
to fly directly to the scene.
We arrived at the scene of the crash to find the man trapped in the back of the car. The impact on both sides had crushed the vehicle and forced him into the back. The only way we could reach him was through the windscreen. He was unable to move, and we were unable to get him out.
The firemen used cutters to peel back the roof, giving us cramped access. The driver’s eyes were closed, he wasn’t speaking: initially, he was calm and unconscious. After 20 minutes, he started to thrash around.
I knew we had to move quickly.
We had to prevent permanent brain damage
Having the head injury was bad enough. But thrashing about, burning up oxygen and raising his blood pressure would only make the injury worse. These are the things that can cause permanent brain damage.
care to the patient.
What happened next is no different from what would have happened in ER at a hospital, except it was at the scene of the accident. We put a tube down his airways so that we could ensure he got enough oxygen. Then a needle into his vein to sedate him and calm his heart rate. Essentially, we put him on intensive care treatment while he was still trapped in the car.
Once the roof was off, we were able to slide him onto a spine board. After we’d checked for any obvious injuries - there were none apart from the cuts to his head - we called ahead so that the hospital could have a trauma team ready, then transported him back to Westmead hospital. We left at 9.20pm, just over an hour after reaching the scene.
Your support helps us provide vital care
When you compare the way we used to do things all those years ago to the way we do things now, the difference is remarkable.
Thanks to technology, we’re able to find out about accidents in minutes rather than an hour. We’re able to take intensive medical care to the patient, rather than the other way around. The time we save is crucial to saving lives.
As we approach an incident, Night Vision Goggles allow us to fly directly to the scene, rather than cautiously descend and waste vital minutes. Once there, we work seamlessly with the fire brigade, police and ambulance officers.
All of this - the technology, the equipment, the training - is thanks to our generous supporters. Without your help, we simply could not be there, and so many lives would be lost or changed forever.
been a CareFlight doctor and
champion for over 20 years.
As someone at the front line of what we do, I know how important your support is in allowing us to carry out our lifesaving work.
Please give what financial support you can so that we can continue to fly to the scene and save lives with specialist care. I know first hand that your gift really will make a difference in the work that we do, helping us care for those who desperately need it.
On behalf of all those we have saved, and those we have yet to rescue, I thank you for your support.
Yours,
Bernie Hanrahan
CareFlight Doctor
PS Our missions happen day in, day out, month after month, year after year. Your donation will help to keep us in the air, and able to respond with the vital medical care that saves so many lives. Thank you.
Call 1800 655 876 to make a phone donation.
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