Legacy Emanuel Unveils New, Specialized Ambulance

PORTLAND, OR — American Medical Response and Legacy Emanuel on Thursday unveiled a new, oversized ambulance that will be used exclusively for treating and transporting severely ill flu patients. Legacy Emanuel is reportedly the only hospital in Oregon offering this mobile service.

The new, specialized AMR ambulance will carry a team of people trained in providing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), "a sophisticated life-saving procedure which takes over the oxygenation and heart function in patients with severe lung disease, cardiac disease or trauma," according to Legacy spokeswoman Vicki Guinn.

"Legacy Emanuel is one of two hospitals in Oregon that has the ECMO service but the only one with a mobile team to pick up and transport patients," Guinn explained. "When a physician from another hospital calls for the Mobile ECMO Team, a patient is on the verge of dying."

The 2017 flu season was reportedly the worst in decades, with the Mobile ECMO team recording 22 patient pickups.

Nationally, the Center for Disease Control estimates roughly 56,000 people die from flu-related illnesses each year. However, it's reportedly difficult to have an exact number because many states, including Oregon, do not track death-by-flu as such. This is because flu-related deaths are often attributed more specifically to other sicknesses that were enhanced due to the presence of influenza — like pneumonia, for one.

Oregon flu surveillance data can be found here

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Of those cared for by the ECMO team, 80 percent survived their illness — which is 21 percent above the national average, Guinn said. Additionally, the team even made a 12-hour flight to Alaska to pickup a flu patient.

Available 24/7, the Mobile ECMO team can provide immediate care using specialized equipment in order to stabilize the patient and get them to hospital safely. However, the best way to avoid the flu — and consequently a ride in the mobile ECMO unit — is to get a flu shot, Guinn said.

"The important message is to get a flu shot," she said. "A flu shot can prevent infections and reduce the severity of flu complications or even death."

Image via Legacy Emanuel