The PTC (Patient Transport Compartment)...

On very short notice, I was asked to transport a quadraplegic patient to Miami for medical treatment. This might seem like a small task, but you've got to remember that a quadraplegic patient cannot sit in a normal chair unassisted - plus they have a higher rate of complication (basically anything going wrong). Hence the need for dedicated medical staff. And a some pretty funky medical technology...

Introducing the Lufthansa PTC (Patient Transport Compartment).

This is an amazing self-contained unit that fits into the middle of the plane to transport all ICU and critically ill patients. The patient is placed on the bed in the unit and the Lufthansa nurses and a doctor (me, in this case) stay with them in the unit.

What made this PTC so amazing was how well equipped it was. There were ventilators, all kinds of monitors, IV injection pumps and the largest stock of ICU / anaesthetic meds and equipment that I've ever seen. It was definitely better than the ICU I worked in at Helen Joseph.

The nurses were well trained, friendly and professional and the whole experience - phenomenal.

Yes, I was tired... It was like doing an intern shift (36 hours awake), on an airplane, in a 6 square metre space - that's one helluva intern shift. But, at the end of the day, the patient got the best possible care - and that's what counts.

Thanks - and congrats to a wonderful team of nurses. Katherine and Elke - it was a pleasure!

I'll post some pics soon...

Some articles:
*AeroCare Repatriates a Patient From Chicago to Singapore
*CEGA Group