“Time is important. It could be the difference of life or death,” emphasised Dr. Michael Lew, the emergency division director at Texas Health Presbyterian Plano. The hospital has just lately introduced the hole of its 2d helicopter pad, which is able to function every other touchdown web site for sufferers. The new pad is situated at the japanese finish of the hospital campus and is far nearer to the doorway of the Emergency Department than the hospital’s unique pad. Billy Whitson, the EMS program supervisor, mentioned that the brand new pad has facilitated a discount of 4 mins in clinical helicopter delivery occasions for sufferers.
The new helicopter pad is 18-ft increased and situated loads of toes nearer than the previous pad. Hospital workforce labored for 3 years on designing the pad to make certain that it could be efficient below quite a lot of climate stipulations, together with the COVID-19 pandemic and the tough wintry weather hurricane that hit Texas in February 2021. “We’re the only elevated heating helipad south of Norman, Oklahoma, that has a Level 2 Trauma and Level 4 Maternal,” Whitson showed.
The pad is product of aluminum and can also be heated in case of icy climate stipulations to make certain that helicopters can land safely. Whitson defined {that a} steam pipe machine is to be had to thaw the helipad and ramp the usage of alcohol and steam, making it secure for helicopters to land.
The new helicopter pad is already getting used to switch sufferers. It serves as the most important addition to the hospital, which targets to offer well timed and environment friendly hospital therapy to sufferers.