Five-year study of emergency aeromedical evacuation in the United States.

During the time period, 1 July 1969-30 June 1974, a total of 7056 patients were moved on the C-9A Nightingale on an "urgent" or "priority" basis. In support of the request for urgent airlift, an average of 21 C-9A aircraft were launched monthly. The domestic aeromedical evacuation missions were highly flexible and productive, yet inexpensive when compared with other means of moving patients. A means for determining precedence for the pickup and movement of patients is essential for an aeromedical evacuation system. When the patient is properly evaluated and the urgency for flight movement determined, unnecessary, costly, hazardous, or special flights are avoided. More than 50% of the "urgent" patients airlifted during this 5-year span originated in the central part of the United States. The Northeast and Far West were each responsible for less than 10% of the patients requiring urgent evacuation over the same period. More than 50% of the urgent patients moved were in the categories of newborn complications, burns, and neurological problems. During this period, no patient was moved on an urgent basis for a psychiatric problem--aeromedical evacuation simply becomes a very effective tool in ensuring complete health care for seriously ill patients.