Flight for a premature baby

At the hospital, it soon becomes clear that the baby will be born in a matter of hours. However, the specialist infrastructure of a central hospital is essential for meeting the needs of premature babies. Due to the poor weather conditions, a transfer flight to a central hospital is out of the question. Instead, Sandrine and her husband are flown to the next largest hospital in Sion. “During the transfer, I became aware of just how serious the situation was”, she recalls. In the middle of the night in a Sion delivery room, little Leano comes into the world – nearly two and a half months early. He has to be immediately intubated by the medi cal staff. They decide that the newborn has to be transferred to Lausanne University Hospital by Rega helicopter. “Despite the circumstances, the birth went well”, says Sandrine, re lieved. “The doctors told me that Rega were going to fly Leano to the central hospital in an incubator as there was a neonatal intensive care unit there where he could be better cared for.” 

At 4 a.m. the alarm sounds at the Rega base in Lausanne. Pilot Simon Luginbühl checks the weather using an app and webcams. “We can fly directly over the mountains to the hospital in Sion”, he says. Meanwhile, in the hangar, paramedic Mathias Galter rearranges things inside the helicopter to make space for the incubator. The transport incubator is necessary as premature babies aren’t yet able to regulate their body temperature as well as adults and therefore need a warm environment. Generally speaking, missions involving premature babies are challenging and require both special equipment and additional specialists. The Rega crew is therefore always accompanied by a neonatal team on these complex missions. 

Once the rescue helicopter has landed on the helipad on the roof of the CHUV, a neonatal nurse and a paediatrician climb on board, and Mathias Galter secures the transport incubator inside the cabin. Then the Rega helicopter takes off in the direction of Sion. Upon arrival, there’s a big surprise. Simon Luginbühl and the new father know each other. They were both military pilots back in the day and used to fly together. Sandrine later recalls the moral support they received from the Rega pilot: “I thought that the pilot would stay with the helicopter. But ours didn’t. His words brought me great comfort during this time.” 

Motorbike accident 

On Sunday morning, paramedic Mathias Galter and emergency flight physician Julian Oberholzer finish their shift. They are replaced by paramedic and manager of the Lausanne base Stéphane Jean-Mairet and emergency flight physician David Eidenbenz, who will accompany Simon Luginbühl until the next day. Following a quiet morning, the alarm sounds: A motorcyclist has come off his bike on the Col du Mollendruz (Canton Vaud). The police and ambulance are on the scene. The flight takes only several minutes, during which time the emergency flight physician and the paramedic prepare to treat the patient. They discuss which equipment to take from the helicopter to the patient. On arriving at the scene, they see that the patient lying on the road is conscious. A few feet away, his wrecked motorbike suggests that there’s been a serious collision. David Eidenbenz examines the patient and decides to transport him to the CHUV. During the flight, he carries out an ultrasound examination but discovers no signs of internal bleeding. It turns out that the patient has sustained only minor injuries. 

Throughout these two days marked by various missions, the crew was always able to count on its partners – the police, ambulance and specialists at the hospital. These partners contribute significantly to the proper care of patients during hospital transfers as well as in the case of road traffic accidents.