LifeFlight is expanding its international critical care transport and aeromedical retrieval capability through new relationships with experienced ECMO clinicians across Australia, creating a pathway to support some of the most complex aeromedical transfers worldwide.
Specialist support for complex ECMO transfers
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides advanced temporary heart and/or lung support for critically ill patients.
While ECMO can be lifesaving, ECMO transport, particularly across international borders, requires specialist clinical expertise, dedicated equipment and meticulous aeromedical planning. Through collaboration with Australian ECMO physicians who have previous experience undertaking international ECMO transfers, LifeFlight can now respond with ECMO capability when an ECMO case is referred.
Coordinating international ECMO transport
For hospitals, insurers and assistance providers, the difference is how quickly they get an answer. An ECMO enquiry now receives a clear call on feasibility, a competitive quote and, once accepted, a specialist team that can mobilise at short notice.
Early contact makes the biggest difference. A call with the patient’s location, current level of support and intended destination is enough to start planning, even before a transfer is certain, and it gives long-range missions the lead time they need.
Expanding LifeFlight’s aeromedical retrieval capability
For patients too unwell to travel any other way, LifeFlight’s expanding international ECMO transport capability opens a path to specialist care that distance would otherwise put out of reach. By combining specialist ECMO expertise with established aeromedical capability, LifeFlight is expanding the possibilities for safe, coordinated international critical care transport.
