En route care of patients requires adequate equipment to ensure safe and successful transport. Certain information such as length of flight, number of patients to be transferred, and severity of patient condition should be taken into consideration when deciding the type and number of equipment to be used. The goal of preparing equipment for patient transport is to ensure all necessary items are accounted for, both consumable and non-consumable.

In general, each patient will require:

1. Vital signs monitoring device with both invasive and non-invasive capabilities
2. External suction machine
3. A ventilator, depending on the patient’s respiratory status

Models of these pieces of equipment may vary between each service depending on availability. Additional items should be available so that for each possible equipment failure or for deterioration of the patient there is a backup plan and the proper materials available for these plans. For example, if the external suction machine fails, a manual suction should be available.

The length of the transport will determine the amount of medication and number of consumables that should be brought with the ERC team. At minimum, twice the length of the transport should be planned for when packing items. Oxygen needs and consumption rate should be calculated prior to transport to ensure enough supply is available for all legs of the transport. For example, the flight time may be 15 minutes, but the ground transport time from the landing zone to the next echelon of care may be an additional 20 minutes.

Consumable equipment is that which expires or cannot be reused on another patient. For all non-consumable items, fully charging batteries and performing any function checks should be ensured before transport. Although some platforms have the ability to charge the equipment, it is not guaranteed on every platform. These items must be properly inspected by biomedical per the maintenance requirement recommended by the company of each respective piece of equipment.

Non-consumable equipment should be secured on the patient litter or transportation device so that the ERC team members can view them during transport. Equipment may be secured down by litter straps, ratchet straps, tape, or other securement devices. Consumables may be carried by the ERC team members via bag or backpack or may be prestaged in the transport platform.

Guidance on equipment, consumables, medications, and fluids can be found in Appendix A. Quantities of each have been left out as it will vary by transport. Although not all items on the list will need to be included for every transport, supplies needed for potential emergencies during transport should be considered.