At the beginning of spring, the coronavirus already had Europe firmly in its grip. During this time, DRF Luftrettung impressively demonstrated that it can be relied on - even in crisis situations and for cross-border operations. This was also the case at the end of April, with the repatriation of a French patient from Dresden to France. The cooperation of many stakeholders contributed to his state of health improving significantly during the treatment in Germany. They all worked together so that he could be brought back home. The expertise of DRF Luftrettung in patient transport with Learjets and intensive care helicopters was especially beneficial in this particular case.
The request for the repatriation came from a French control centre, which was specifically set up for all medical transports of French patients back to their homeland. The DRF Luftrettung operations centre checked the conditions for patient transport, and immediately initiated the required measures.
"Our missions involving formerly positive patients who have tested negative after treatment are assessed by an additional doctor who is a coronavirus specialist," said Dennis Wittmann, who supervised the relocation as mission coordinator for the Learjet. "This assessment was the basis for initiating the transport with the ambulance aircraft – the weather conditions in the Dresden region did not allow transport via helicopter." During the planning, the crew identified a further challenge at the destination in France: the nearest airport was an hour’s drive away from the hospital. So the coordination centre in Metz offered the use of a small military airport directly at the destination. However, the runway there was too short for the ambulance aircraft. "As a result, we came up with the idea to transport the patient to Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden with the Learjet, and then directly to the clinic with 'Christoph 111'," said Wittmann.
The reduced transport time as a result was a blessing for the patient.Dennis Wittmann, Mission Coordinator
One day later, the Learjet took off in Dresden. Dr Johannes Meyer accompanied the repatriation in his role as an emergency doctor: "The patient was handed over on the runway," said the doctor. During the trip from the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus to Dresden Airport, Meyer received information that the patient had been diagnosed with bacteria with problematic resistance: an infection risk for people with weakened immune systems. However, this did not pose a problem for the Learjet medical crew. "We informed the admitting hospital in France," explained Meyer. "In such a situation, comprehensive preparations must be made by the hospital."
Thomas Münsterer, pilot of the "Christoph 111" intensive care transport helicopter, which was also deployed, said: "International flights are rather rare. However, there was excellent cooperation from the French air traffic control. And the cooperation with the aviation safety authorities was also excellent, which enabled us to always fly via the direct route."