Last month, CareFlight welcomed two valued partners – Blackwoods and Community Bank Coolalinga & District (Bendigo Bank) to its Darwin Hangar.
The generous support shown by these organisations has helped equip our Palmerston Inter-hospital Road Transport Service (PIRTS) team with vital new handheld oxygen saturation monitors.
Through their combined contributions, our Patient Transport Officers (PTOs) now have access to advanced monitoring equipment that enhances safety and clinical decision-making during inter-hospital road transfers across the Northern Territory.
Blackwoods has kindly donated a handheld oxygen saturation monitor to our Darwin operations, while Bendigo Bank has provided funding to purchase an additional unit, ensuring our teams are equipped with the clinical tools they need to care for patients in time‑critical or rapidly changing situations.
Unlike basic fingertip oximeters, these handheld devices provide continuous, reliable, and motion‑tolerant readings, enabling clinicians to monitor a patient’s oxygen saturation (SpO₂) even while travelling on the road. Devices such as the Masimo Rad‑57 are purpose-built for demanding emergency medical environments, offering rugged durability and accurate readings under movement, low perfusion, or challenging conditions.
Each new monitor will be fitted directly to our PIRTS road transport stretcher, ensuring it is available before, during, and after every transfer. This seamless integration means our crews can begin monitoring immediately at the bedside and maintain continuous oversight until the patient is safely handed over at the receiving facility.
Because the device supports both paediatric and adult patients, it will play an important role in caring for some of the Territory’s most vulnerable people. The inclusion of paediatric sensor capability is particularly valuable for responding to rapidly changing oxygenation levels in children.
Real-time oxygen saturation monitoring is a critical part of safe patient transport. These handheld devices allow PTOs to:
- identify signs of deterioration earlier
- titrate oxygen with accuracy
- keep patients within safe clinical parameters
- escalate care promptly to senior flight nurses or receiving clinicians when needed
This ultimately enhances safety during inter-facility transfers and supports better patient outcomes.
The support provided by Blackwoods and Bendigo Bank directly strengthens the capability of CareFlight’s PIRTS service and the safety of the patients we care for across the Northern Territory.
Their generosity ensures that our crews are better equipped, our patients are better protected, and our community continues to receive high‑quality, compassionate aeromedical and road transport care.
