European Air Ambulance has developed an intelligent interface named Bluebox to deliver the electrical current necessary for incubators and connected appliances such as respirators and monitoring equipment on board its aircraft during transfers of premature babies.

Designed to ensure continuous operation in any vehicle for any length of transport it runs independently of the external current source, limits the need for extra cables and adapters, and is integrated into the stretcher next to the incubator. In the unlikely event of a problem, it can be replaced by a spare Bluebox that is stored in the aircraft.

EAA has also purchased a Hamilton T1 transport respirator, equipped with special software for newborn babies, which allows for the addition of a heater/humidifier for use in the latest respiratory support techniques.

“The emergency medical transport of any baby, whether premature or full-term, requires state-of-the-art equipment that can help replicate as far as possible a neonatal intensive care unit,” the company says. “The challenge during the medical transport of babies is to maintain a stable temperature inside the aircraft, helicopter or ambulance, and on the stretcher between the vehicle and the neonatal unit – and specially designed transport incubators are used for this purpose.

“While they can, in theory, operate with an external energy source (high 220 V or low 12 V, 24 V) and/or a built-in battery, in practice there are differences in electrical set-up between vehicles, on land or in the air, that can cause complications in transit. Numerous plugs, adapters and connectors may be needed, while some pieces of equipment are simply incompatible with power sources other than their own batteries.”