the capability to provide the necessary medical care. If the prognosis indicates prolonged
hospitalization or an anticipated separation or retirement, the patient will normally be
transferred to the uniformed service MTF nearest the patient's residence that is capable of
providing the required care and disposition.
c. Military members will be transferred to the nearest uniformed service MTF
without regards to the patient's branch of service or the branch of service operating the
MTF.
d. Movement of patients is accomplished by airlift when airlift is available and
conditions are suitable, unless medically contraindicated.
3-8.
DETERMINATION
Although the responsibility for determining that a patient should be medically
evacuated is the physician's, everyone involved in the evacuation process needs to be
aware that aeromedical evacuation should not be routinely considered in the following:
a. Patients in the infectious stage of serious communicable diseases. If the patient
is evacuated, the inpatient treatment record (ITR) should be tagged to note the
communicable disease.
b. Patients whose general condition is so poor that they are unlikely to survive the
evacuation.
c. Patients whose upper and lower jaws are wired together. Fixation wires must
be replaced by rubber bands if evacuation is deemed necessary. In situations where wires
are not replaced, patients should have scissors attached to their clothing, unless a
psychiatric patient.
d. Patients who are pregnant may be moved at any gestational age, providing the
patient's water has not broken nor active labor has begun. Specific length of pregnancy
should be reported.
e. Patients with any of the following conditions or equipment requirements will
require special consideration.
(1) Respiratory embarrassment.
(2) Cardiac failure (cannot be regulated until 10 days postmyocardial infarction
or 5 continuous days without complications or arrhythmias).
(3) Trapped gas within any of the body cavities, e.g., pneumothorax.
MD0752
3-6