Stanford Life Flight Helicopter departing KHWD

EC145
As of July 2007, Stanford Life Flight has been operating in an Airbus EC145 helicopter. The same paint scheme which has become a highly recognized hallmark of our program has been maintained.
The EC145 is a twin-engine aircraft with superior lifting capabilities and is fully IFR equipped for single pilot operation. It has a large, spacious cabin that enhances clinical care, allowing for the transport of up to two patients.
Stanford Medicine Life Flight started in May 1984 as the critical care air medical transport service of Stanford University Hospital in partnership with Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.
Interfacility Transfers
As a community resource, Life Flight is available to transport patients to any appropriate receiving hospital throughout California. All flights are staffed with a team of Life Flight registered nurses (RNs), experienced in critical care and emergency medicine, to care for patients during the flight.
911 Requests
We also provide advanced aeromedical evacuation support to any county emergency medical system. These calls can include motor vehicle crashes, bicycle accidents, falls, assaults, near-drownings, and other medical emergencies. Our aircraft can accommodate up to two patients. Approximately 20% of our flights are activated by a 911 call from the nine counties that make up the greater Bay Area.
Specialty Team Transports
Life Flight also provides aeromedical support to our partners at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, transporting specialized teams from the Pediatric or Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Obstetric Department to outlying hospitals in order to bring patients back to the comprehensive services offered at this academic hospital.
Life Flight may, on occasion, use the Life Flight ambulance if the weather does not permit flying, if the referring facility cannot accommodate an aircraft, or in other situations. Care is still provided by the Life Flight RNs.
Capabilities and Equipment
CMAC Video Laryngoscope
Hamilton T1 Ventilator
2 Units Packed Red Blood Cells and 1 Unit Plasma on Every Flight
Butterfly Point-of-Care Ultrasound
Arterial Line Placement
Rapid Sequence Intubation
Surgical Airways
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), Impella, Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP)