Neonatal Incubator Transport

Scottsdale, Arizona - For several years, the repatriation or air ambulance transport of a newborn baby to a tertiary care facility has been one of Jet Rescue Air Ambulance´s specialties. These delicate and precious patients are flown under the care of its own neonatal and pediatric intensive care specialists. Neonatal air ambulance missions at Jet Rescue Air Ambulance always include a neonatologist as well as 2 Critical Care Neonatal Nurses. In addition the team is trained in NALS (Neonatal Advanced life Support)

The missions are executed with state-of-the-art equipment, two incubators, neonatal critical care equipment and ventilators are available from our bases in Guadalajara, Mexico and Mexico City.

An incubator is an apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby. It is used for transporting premature or seriously ill babies.

(Possible) functions of a neonatal incubator are:
• Oxygenation, through oxygen supplementation by head hood or nasal cannula, or even continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or mechanical ventilation. Infant respiratory distress syndrome is the leading cause of death in preterm infants, and the main treatments are CPAP, in addition to administering surfactant and stabilizing the blood sugar, blood salts, and blood pressure.
• Observation: Modern neonatal intensive care involves sophisticated measurement of temperature, respiration, cardiac function, oxygenation, and brain activity.
• Protection - From cold temperature, infection, noise, drafts and excess handling.
• Nutrition - Provision of nutrition, through intravenous catheters
• Administration of medications.
• Maintaining fluid balance by providing fluid and keeping a high air humidity to prevent too great a loss from skin and respiratory evaporation.

A “transport incubator” is an incubator with the most necessary neonatal instruments in a transportable format. A transport incubator is used when a sick or premature baby has to be transported from one hospital to another. A transport incubator usually has a miniature ventilator, cardio-respiratory monitor, IV pump, pulse oxi-meter, and oxygen supply built into its frame.

As stated before Jet Rescue Air Ambulance always uses state of the art medical equipment. For Neonatal incubator transport the following equipment is used;
• 2 Draeger Ti 500 Globe Trotter incubators equipped with a Mobile Stephan R120 ventilator
• 2 Aeronox portable nitric oxide systems. The Aeronox offers continuous and uninterrupted inhaled nitric oxide administration and analysis during transport