MUSC using new high-tech, speedy helicopter

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The Medical University of South Carolina is transporting patients in a new, speedy helicopter with high-tech monitoring equipment.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports Friday (http://bit.ly/pkYJAp ) the helicopter has already carried nearly 50 patients to MUSC and the MUSC Children’s Hospital since it arrived in Charleston.

The hospital partnered with Dallas-based air ambulance provider Med-Trans Corp. in late June to add the advanced helicopter to its fleet.

Med Trans program manager Tina Frey says the helicopter will soon include a portable fetal heart monitor and serves as an intensive care unit in the air.

She expects it to transport up to 60 people monthly from traumatic accidents and smaller hospitals.

The company says the helicopter also provides night vision for the crew, and oversized doors that enable fast loading.