[Patients being transported by civil airline companies]

Colombian aviation operations began in 1919; however, no knowledge is currently available concerning medical air transport in the country. This study involved local companies in Bogota which provided air medical transfer for patients from 2005 to 2007; it was aimed at improving knowledge regarding air transport for patients in Colombia.

This was a descriptive study of patient air transfer by three companies during the aforementioned three-year period. The Risk Score for Transport Patients' (RSTP) scale was used in each report.

Only three companies authorized access to their medical reports; 98 reports were found, 24 in 2005, 28 in 2006 and 46 in 2007 but only 96 patients were transferred because two flights were cancelled because of the patients' poor medical condition. All the records dealt with secondary air transfer (between facilities) in fixed-wing aircraft. 61 % of the patients so transferred were male and 38 % female; 51 % were adults and 49 % were less than 18 years old (57 % of the latter being newborn). According to the RSTP scale, 27 % of the patients were unstable, 48 % moderately unstable and 25 % were stable. 90 % of the transfers were accompanied by medical staff, 14 cases had complications during their flights but mortality was just 4 %.

Patients' air transfer requires complete assessment and a complete record of all the variables related to transporting patients by air and personnel trained in dealing with critically-ill patients of all ages.