Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital operates an ambulance mobile ICU dedicated to severely ill patients...Make sure to watch Golden Time
Feb 12, 2025
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The Mobile ICU is a dedicated ambulance specially designed for transporting severely ill patients, and it is called the "Moving ICU" as medical staff can provide ICU-level care in the vehicle. Hallim University Sacred Heart Hospital will play a key role in transferring seriously ill patients who need to be transferred to other hospitals through Mobile ICU.
About 60 officials, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Gyeonggi Provincial Office, the Central Emergency Medical Center, and Hallim University Sacred Heart Hospital, attended the launch ceremony. Starting with major greetings, the event was held in the order of introduction of Mobile ICU business, performance report, vehicle and equipment introduction, and demonstration.
◇ From ECMO patients to patients with acute myocardial infarction... 92 transfers in 3 months
Yang Won-seok, an emergency medicine professor at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital who was in charge of reporting the performance of this event, conducted a total of 92 MICU transfers in the three months from November 2024 to January 2025" he said. The transfer patient types included 21 patients with acute myocardial infarction and stroke, 16 patients with newborns and children, and 3 patients with ECMO.
During this period, the cumulative transfer distance amounted to 3,263 km, with an average of 35.4 km per case. The status of transfer by region (in order of requested area-acceptance area) was counted as 62 cases in Gyeonggi-Gyeonggi, 22 cases in Gyeonggi-Seoul, 2 cases in Seoul-Gyeonggi, 2 cases in Chungbuk-Gyeonggi, 2 cases in Gyeonggi-Incheon, 1 case in Gyeonggi-Gangwon, and 1 case in other cases.
Professor Kim Ki-hong of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Seoul National University Hospital emphasized in the presentation of 'SMICU operation experience and suggestions'"We need to continuously find improvements by analyzing various data such as the difference between the request for dispatch, the actual number of dispatch, and the time required." It should also provide opportunities to increase the sense of belonging and job satisfaction of team members and develop professional competencies, saying there is a serious shortage of emergency medical personnel worldwide", he suggested.
In the subsequent demonstration, real-time patient biosignal monitoring and AI-based prediction systems were used to analyze patient conditions inside the Mobile ICU. At the same time, patients and medical staff in the vehicle were connected by video to the hospital to conduct real-time remote consultations, drawing great attention from participants.
"This pilot project is the first step toward creating a safer and more professional transportation system for severely ill patients, and it is meaningful that our hospital plays an important role in saving severely ill patients," said Kim Hyung-soo, head of Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital. "Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital will do its best to educate medical staff and operate long-term so that it can become a leading model for the transportation system for severely ill patients, and will contribute to the nationwide spread by closely analyzing the effectiveness of the project."
◇Mobile ICU to help safely transfer seriously ill patients between hospitals
Hanlim University Sacred Heart Hospital was selected in June 2024 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Gyeonggi-do Province as a pilot project to build a transport system between seriously ill hospitals and has been operating Mobile ICU since November 2024. In addition to transferring severely ill patients between hospitals, it plans to expand its role to on-site medical support and transfer of severely ill patients in the event of a disaster in the future.
The Mobile ICU of Hallim University Sacred Heart Hospital is 7.56m long, 2.37m wide, and 2.92m high, 1.5 times wider than ordinary ambulances. Inside, it is equipped with medical equipment to support the life of severely ill patients, such as extracorporeal membrane oxygen supply (ECMO), ventilators, patient monitoring equipment, and high-flow oxygen therapy devices. In addition, more internal power can be used than regular ambulances, and oxygen tanks can be loaded four times more than regular ambulances, making it suitable for long-distance transportation because ECMO and ventilators can be used at the same time.
When the mobile ICU is dispatched, a dedicated team of three medical specialists, nurses, and emergency responders will be on board. It will play a key role in quickly transferring patients who need emergency treatment, such as acute myocardial infarction, stroke, sepsis, severe trauma, and neonatal intensive care patients, to treatable hospitals.
◇Transfer 140km of longest distance in heavy snow...a patient's quick improvement
The case of successful transfer through the Mobile ICU also received attention. On January 27, even in the worst road conditions due to holiday holidays and heavy snow, a case in which a severely ill patient was safely transferred to Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, about 140 kilometers from Jecheon-si, Chungcheongbuk-do. It was the longest distance transfer out of a total of 92 cases.
At that time, the patient was receiving ECMO treatment for severe respiratory failure, and long-distance transfer was urgent for more professional treatment. However, due to the holiday, the operation of manpower was limited and the road conditions were extremely bad due to heavy snow. Long-distance transportation of severely ill patients operating ECMO equipment was close to impossible in situations where even general transportation was difficult.
However, the cooperation between the Mobile ICU team of Hallim University Sacred Heart Hospital, the ECMO team, and the hospital director Kim Hyung-soo (thoracic surgery) shone. Departing at 3:26 p.m., they arrived at the intensive care unit of A Hospital in Jecheon at 8:10 p.m. after nearly five hours of struggle through heavy snow and traffic jams. Afterwards, the patient was equipped with ECMO equipment and transferred, and amid thorough monitoring and treatment, he was able to arrive safely at Hallim University Sacred Heart Hospital in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do at 11:14 p.m.
After the transfer, the patient's condition improved quickly and his condition improved to the point where ECMO treatment was discontinued within a week. Currently, he has been transferred to the Department of Respiratory Medicine and is receiving recovery treatment.
In addition, various severe patients, including acute myocardial infarction, sepsis, and resuscitation patients after cardiac arrest, were able to save their lives through Mobile ICU.
With the launch of the Mobile ICU, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital is expected to establish itself as a base hospital for transporting severely ill patients. By expanding the number of transfers, training of medical staff, upgrading equipment, and incorporating AI technology, the company plans to improve the operational completeness of Mobile ICUs and contribute to the treatment of severely ill patients.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
