Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service helicopter

Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service emergency medical helicopters provide high-level critical care and rapid transportation. A helicopter can be in flight within minutes of dispatch, 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Mayo Clinic medical helicopters fly nearly 2,000 flights a year.

Helicopters fly within a 150-mile (241-kilometer) radius of bases at:

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, Eau Claire, Wis.
Mankato Regional Airport, Mankato, Minn.

Aircraft, aviation crew, maintenance and operations certificates are provided by Mayo Clinic.

Mobile ER/ICU

The staff, medical equipment and medications on board Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service helicopters make them mobile emergency departments (EDs) equipped to handle nearly anyone with serious trauma injuries or a critical illness. Onboard equipment allows the flight team to monitor heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and oxygen levels. The flight team uses external defibrillators, external pacemakers and other advanced-level equipment. All Mayo Clinic helicopters carry a portable lab analyzer that measures arterial or venous blood gases, electrolytes, hemoglobin, lactate, and INR levels. Packed red blood cells (3 units), thawed plasma (3 units), whole blood (2 units) and platelets (1 unit) are available for every flight and can be administered inflight or at the referring hospital. Mayo Clinic air ambulance helicopter crews also carry tranexamic acid (TXA).

Mayo Clinic helicopter crews began using TXA for eligible patients on July 9, 2012, when published data indicated that it was beneficial for people with trauma if given within three hours of injury. It is also approved for use in select people who experience a hemorrhage (bleed) in the brain. Mayo Clinic's blood administration guidelines call for the use of TXA for these patients when they meet criteria for pre-hospital administration of blood products.

Cost

Many insurers will cover some costs for emergency medical helicopter transport to the most appropriate medical facility in cases of acute injury or illness.

For questions about costs associated with medical transport or questions about bills or coverage for services, please contact our business office at 800-776-9001 (toll-free).