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 https://doi.org/10.47488/dhrp.v1i2.6 

  

 
http://dhrproceedings.org 3 © DHR Health Institute for Research and Development 
 

 

TRAUMA BULLETIN 

Critical Care In The Air – When Seconds Matter 

Airmed South Texas  
Jonathan Allua 1 

1 EMS Operations, Hidalgo County EMS, and AirMed South Texas, Edinburg, Texas, USA 

 

E-mail: jallua@hidalgocountyems.org 

 

Received 12/17/2020 

Accepted for publication 01/08/2021 

Published 03/05/2021 

Keywords:  Trauma; Injury; Emergency; Helicopter; Critical care

There are a “few” adages in emergency medicine, “time 

is muscle” referring to a heart attack, “time is brain” 

referring to a stroke, and the pinnacle, “the golden 

hour” referring to a trauma patient, and the importance 

of reaching a trauma facility within the first hour from 

injury. What do they all have in common? They all 

specify that time is of the essence. 

AirMed 1 is a medical helicopter serving the Rio Grande 

Valley (RGV; Figure 1). Cruising at 155mph, AirMed 1 

can rendezvous with EMS units and transport to the 

hospital in a fraction of the time it would take by 

ambulance. For example, traveling from Edcouch to DHR 

Health by ambulance takes an estimated 30 minutes. 

AirMed 1 can make the trip in only 6 minutes. The same is 

true for most of the region where the helicopter can 

transport to the tertiary care center more rapidly compared 

to ambulance transport saving valuable minutes that could 

impact a patient’s 

clinical outcome. 

AirMed 1 is not only a fast ride, but it is also the 

biggest benefit bringing the critical care transport team 

directly to the patient. Staffed with a Critical Care 

Transport Nurse and Critical Care Transport 

Paramedic, the team brings an advanced level of 

knowledge, training, and equipment to complement the 

care being provided by the EMS crew. For example, 

blood loss is one of the biggest threats to a trauma 

patient in the field. To combat this, AirMed 1 carries 

whole blood and liquid plasma on every flight. The 

ability to replace blood loss with whole blood rather 

than just IV fluids alone significantly increases a 

patient’s chances of survival.AirMed 1 also transports 

patients from one facility to another. Often, patients are 

diagnosed with a life-threatening condition requiring 

specialized care that is provided at another facility. 

This results in an interfacility transfer. The Critical 

Care Transport Team has the capabilities and 

equipment required to continue the level of care 

initiated at the sending facility while simultaneously 

initiating care that will be provided at the receiving 

facility. 

AirMed 1 is a valuable resource available to the entire 

RGV. Our mission is to provide the residents and visitors 

of the region with the highest quality and most advanced 

clinical care available. Our goal is to be a partner with 

every EMS, Fire Department, Law Enforcement Agency, 

and Healthcare facility in the region to assist with the care 

and transport of your most critical patients. 

Figure 1: A picture of AirMed helicopter landing in 

a helipad near one of the hospitals in the RGV. 



Critical Care in the air      2021, Vol. 1 (2) 3-4   

 

  

 
http://dhrproceedings.org 4 © DHR Health Institute for Research and Development 

    
 

Diclosures 

Author’s professional qualifications: RN, LP, CCRN, CFRN, 

CMTE.  JA is the Chief of EMS Operations and Chief Flight 

Nurse for Hidalgo County EMS & AirMed South Texas. 

References 

No references were used in this document. 

  

 


