SKYTRAC Systems Ltd and STARS air ambulance, a Canadian provider of in emergency medical care and transportation for the critically ill and injured, have completed a first-of-its-kind in-flight Medical Data Transfer trial onboard STARS’ new five-blade Airbus H145-D3 aircraft.
The Medical Data Transfer capability enables air medical operators to transmit real-time patient medical data such as O2 and CO2 saturation, pulse rate, and blood pressure data directly to remote transport physicians and receiving centres from any point on the globe through SKYTRAC’s intelligent connectivity solution. This unique mix of satellite, cellular, and Wi-Fi connectivity is made possible by SKYTRAC’s ISAT-200A and DAL-200 avionics, which offer operators dynamic data routing through various channels for real-time medical data acquired from onboard medical devices. The capability enables transport physicians to view patient data remotely through secure servers in real-time.
Prior to STARS’ successful in-flight trial, SKYTRAC conducted on-ground testing with STAT MedEvac in February 2020, where engineers configured a ZOLL X Series monitor/defibrillator to transmit encrypted medical data successfully.
This expandable capability will enable healthcare practitioners to access data such as 12-lead reports before patients arrive at the receiving hospital, saving valuable seconds during one of the riskiest phases of care. Telemedicine applications may also be enabled, pending the availability of the required onboard equipment.
“STARS is very excited to see this capability successfully trialled on our aircraft,” commented Cindy Seidl, Chief Clinical Officer, STARS air ambulance. “The ability for our remote transport physicians to view real-time data enables us to be even more reactive when transporting patients to receiving centres.”
The Iridium-based ISAT-200A satellite communications terminal features powerful data acquisition capabilities and services such as voice and text communications, aircraft tracking, and satellite push-to-talk (PTT) through a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network for resilient low-latency narrowband bandwidth immune to natural disasters and catastrophic events. In regions where cellular connectivity is available, SKYTRAC’s DAL-200 can dynamically switch to utilise cellular data.
“SKYTRAC has worked closely with STARS and STAT MedEvac over the years to create a truly innovative capability that has far-reaching impact within the Emergency Medical Service sector,” mentions Mandi Skinner, Regional Business Manager, SKYTRAC. “We look forward to growing our partnership with STARS, and ultimately to a successful fleet-wide implementation.”
