medics initially complete basic training and the Army’s medic-specific Advanced Individual Training program. Before beginning the specific training required of 160th flight medics, many have completed tours of duty, including overseas deployments, with traditional Army units. As they enter the training pipeline to become a 160th flight medic, they must complete the rigorous nine-month Special Operations Combat Medic School, which teaches advanced anatomy, pathophysiology, pharmacology and trauma management. To provide exposure to the realm of special operations aviation, all members of the medical section complete the Special Operations Aviation Medical Indoctrination Course. This course provides instruction on a variety of aeromedical issues and helicopter CASEVAC operations. In order to be considered as “fully mission qualified” or FMQ, the medics must obtain their National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians-Paramedic Certification. Our medics are also required to achieve the Board for Critical Care Paramedic Transport Certification qualifications and standards as a nationally certified flight paramedic (FPC). These certifications are achieved and maintained through extensive didactic and hands-on training which prepares the flight medics to succeed at both the practical and written portions of the national certifying exam. To solidify and reinforce the information learned, the medics receive education in both sick call and clinical aviation medicine (non-trauma module or NTM), and trauma and critical care based training in the Medical Proficiency Training rotations. The education of our medical officers has likewise evolved over the last several years. All of our physician assistants are aeromedically trained; all of our physicians are board-certified providers, with aeromedical training as well. All providers are required to complete additional training in special operations aviation medicine and achieve certification as a FP-C. Our medical providers, enlisted and officers, are trained to operate within a spectrum of rotary wing aircraft, not just the standard Army medevac Black Hawk. We are trained to utilize both the Chinook and the Little Bird as CASEVAC platforms in addition to the Black Hawk. Each platform provides unique advantages, allowing for patient transport, essentially under any circumstance. Perhaps the most easily visible advances in the technology we use have occurred in our medical gear and equipment. Over the last 10 years, we have continuously assessed and evaluated our role and performance 6 | M2VA 16.3
as CASEVAC providers. This self-assessment has driven changes and advances that have allowed us to adapt to our environment on the battlefield and in the back of an aircraft. The changes are evident in the gear that we wear, our choice of medical supplies and the equipment we utilize during CASEVAC operations. Our kit begins with what we wear, an extension of our body armor. We have developed the gear we wear to allow us to maintain tactical maneuverability, while at the same time affording us the ability to treat significant injury in multiple casualties. One of the worn items is the newly developed MARCH (massive hemorrhage, airway, respiration, circulation, hypothermia) belt. It provides easy accessibility to a supply of items used for hemorrhage control, airway management and respiratory support. Members of our section also carry a slimmed-down aid bag, which affords adequate space for supplies while decreasing the medic’s silhouette and allowing for increased maneuverability. In addition to the gear we wear and carry, we have the gear specifically arranged on the aircraft we operate on. Our gear has been developed and specifically tailored to the 160th flight medics skill set and mission, as well as the airframe. Our choices in equipment and supplies fall in line with the recommendations of the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC). At a minimum, this gear includes all of the following: Patient Monitoring Systems: Increasing in-flight patient monitoring capabilities has been one goal of the 160th SOAR (A) Medical Section over the last several years. We employ multiple devices that together will monitor blood pressure, pulse, temperature, SPO2, 3 lead electrocardiogram and capnography. As we continuously seek to improve our capabilities, we are currently investigating the possibility of including ultrasound on board our CASEVAC aircraft. Hypothermia Prevention: A major concern while transporting patients in the various environments we operate in is prevention of hypothermia. To combat this we use both intravenous fluid warmer systems and patient hypothermia prevention kits. Hemorrhage Control: Numerous recent advances have been made targeted at improving hemorrhage control. With guidance from the CoTCCC our sets have evolved to include approved hemostatic agents, tourniquets and clamps. Pro-Coagulants: In accordance with CoTCCC guidelines, use of tranexamic acid www.M2VA-kmi.com