title: Critical care transport.
abstract: Critical care transport (CCT) is the segment of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system that transports patients who are critically ill or injured. Nearly 1,000 medical helicopters affiliated with over 300 transport programs, hundreds of fixed-wing aircraft, and many, many ground ambulances assisting adult, pediatric and neonatal CCT teams are operating in the United States.1 This article reviews the history of and indications for CCT, team qualifications, vehicle options, safety, CCT system design, and physician involvement in CCT. It concludes with a brief review of CCT services in Rhode Island.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Francis M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000552:Ambulances; D003422:Critical Care; D006801:Humans; D012237:Rhode Island; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000458:organization & administration
keywords: ambulance; emergency medical services; helicopter