On the roof of the emergency room, discover the new helicopter of the Rouen University Hospital
By Adrian Filoche
Published on
It is not uncommon to hear its engine roar and to see its blades spinning in the sky of Rouen (Seine Maritime). Since 2014, the CHU has been equipped with a r making it possible to transfer patients between hospitals, but also to intervene in addition to firefighters and ground ambulance at the scene of an accident or for any other vital emergency.
A brand new helicopter!
In summer 2021, the Rouen hospital acquired a brand new helicopter by signing a contract with the SAF company. Faster, less fuel-intensivewith three places for medical personnel (compared to two before) and a stretcher capable of transporting a patient, the viking is state-of-the-art equipment.
Despite a marked dizziness, the one who writes these lines went to the roof of the emergency room, heading for the heliport, to meet a pilot, an assistant and an emergency doctor. A visit that allows you to learn a little more about the famous flying machine of the Rouen University Hospital.
The helicopter is not available 24 hours a day
Christophe Letouq has been a pilot since 1984. After serving in the Army, he joined the Rouen University Hospital in 2017 to pilot the emergency helicopter. In order to intervene as quickly as possible, a pilot and an assistant are always stationed at the hospital. “There is a rotation of three teams, each made up of a driver and an assistant,” says Christophe Letouq.
First clarification: the CHU helicopter cannot be mobilized 24 hours a day. “In winter, flight hours go from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. in summer”, specifies the pilot. As a security measure, it is impossible for teams to exceed these time slots.
3 minutes. This is the time the helicopter takes to take off.
Another key factor determines whether you can fly or not: the weather. “Each time, we look at the visibility, the wind and the ceiling height”, specifies Mickaël Canu, flight assistant. Rouen being built in a basin, the mist that invades the Norman city very often constitutes a brake on take-offs. “Generally, if you can clearly see the cathedral from the heliport, it’s a good indicator,” adds Mickaël Canu.
Many advantages
Monday, April 11, 2022, big clear blue sky for our meeting: the flight conditions were optimal. The helicopter intervened in the morning to take care of a woman who had suffered a stroke in Dieppe. “A round trip to Dieppe, by helicopter, is 30 minutes, compared to 1h40 by ambulance”, detail Mickaël Canu and Christophe Letouq. With a cruising speed of 260 km/h and a peak of 280 km/h, the machine makes it possible to reach Paris in 30 minutes, Lille in 50.
“Obviously, there is a saving of time during the interventions, notes Sébastien Liné, emergency doctor at Samu. But above all, the fact of intervening more quickly and spending less time in transit, it also frees up availability for caregivers. »
Soon an incubator in the helicopter?
The Samu is currently working on the installation of an incubator adapted to the helicopter in order to intervene in the event of the birth of a premature child in an isolated territory. The newborn can thus be transferred in a very short time to the pediatric emergency room. The objective is to be equipped with this device by the end of 2022.
Another advantage for the patient taken care of: flight comfort. “A helicopter, compared to an ambulance, there is no braking, no acceleration, no holes in the roadway, therefore less jolts. For victims of major trauma (fractures, broken spine, etc.), this is a significant advantage,” continues Sébastien Liné.
Inside the helicopter, room for three caregivers
In addition to the pilot and his assistant in the cabin, the helicopter can transport three medical personnel: a doctor, a nurse and a paramedic (or a young emergency doctor). The machine is equipped with a stretcher, which means that only one patient can be taken care of.
There is also in the cabin, within reach of the caregivers, a cardioscope (a device that monitors the beating of the heart), a kit filled with drugs, a respirator to intubate the patient or morphine syringes. Add to that about 125 kilos of various medical equipment, stored in the trunk of the helicopter. “We can intervene in mid-flight on a patient, do an intubation, a cardiac massage, but it’s quite complicated and cramped inside. We always try to stabilize it before taking off”, specifies Sébastien Liné.
During an intervention, for a road accident for example, the teams mobilized in the helicopter work in collaboration with the firefighters and the emergency services on site. “For example, firefighters will be able to indicate a place to land. On radio communication. This is where the role of the flight assistant takes on its meaning”, notes Mickaël Canu. “We always find a place to hang out. The goal is to be as close as possible to the place of intervention,” adds Christophe Letouq. The pilot notes that the Viking is quite capable of landing in a private garden, if conditions allow it.
400 helicopter transports per year
If the helicopter is attached to the Rouen University Hospital, it remains available to the whole of Normandy. “He can be requested by Caen, Le Havre, Évreux, etc. », emphasizes Sébastien Liné. “In this case, we make them a small invoice,” jokes Christophe Letouq.
Per year, the helicopter transport of the Rouen SAMU represents some 400 missions out of the 7,000 interventions carried out by the emergency services. If it is not in the air or parked at the CHU heliport, the machine is stored in a hangar, in Boos, especially in the event of a cold snap, to avoid degrading it. As a safety measure, the helicopter is checked daily by the pilot and the assistant before the first flight. A mechanic also makes a routine visit, once a week.
Throughout Normandy, there are health establishments with a helicopter on the fingers of one hand: the Viking in Rouen, the Dragon76 in Le Havre, the Dragon 50 in the Channel and finally that of the intercommunal hospital center of Alençon, in the Orne.
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