Air Med J. 2025 Nov-Dec;44(6):505-510. doi: 10.1016/j.amj.2025.08.001. Epub 2025 Sep 10.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: A catastrophic earthquake struck the southeastern parts of Turkey and Syria in February 2023, causing massive destruction of infrastructure and approximately 50,000 deaths and 120,000 injuries. Regional and global medical assistance were initiated, and The Norwegian Armed Forces contributed with air medical evacuation (AE). A detachment consisting of a Hercules C-130 J airplane with personnel from the Royal Norwegian Airforce and a critical-care air transport team (CCATT) from The Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services responded. The AE setting is demanding and requires special training and preparations. We aim to describe the Norwegian AE platform and key findings regarding operational and medical aspects of the response to Turkey.
METHODS: Patient data were collected on “The NATO medical history chart” and supplemented by observations from the CCATT. We describe the Norwegian AE detachment in detail regarding personnel and equipment.
RESULTS: A total of 184 patients were transported on 6 flights. All missions were secondary transports. Of the patients, 45.7% presented deviant physiological parameters, with tachycardia and hypoxia as the most frequent. The dominating primary diagnosis was severe crush injuries. The patient´s age ranged from newborns to patients in their late 80s. The need for medical treatment during transport turned out to be big.
CONCLUSION: The Norwegian AE system uses both military and civilian emergency medicine competence and represents a readily available contribution to disasters. Patients from earthquakes are seriously injured with a high demand for medical monitoring and treatment.
PMID:41161881 | DOI:10.1016/j.amj.2025.08.001
