With the EpiShuttles in place, the ambulance service can perform patient monitoring and full intensive care of infected patients during air, sea and land transport. In case of a local Covid-19 outbreak, patients may now receive fast and safe transportation, even from remote locations. Thus, the EpiShuttle contributes to keep both tourists and Greek citizens safe.

“The EpiShuttle makes transport safe, reduces costs and increases operational efficiency. An ambulance usually requires two to four hours of disinfection between every contagious transport, and with an entire helicopter, it takes almost a day,” said Ellen Catherine Andersen, CEO of EpiGuard.

Reduced risk of mistakes

The EpiShuttle is completely airtight, and, as a second infection barrier, it has negative pressure with P3 filtration to prevent any contaminated air from escaping from the isolator. The EpiShuttle keeps the staff safe. Also, once the patient is loaded, medical staff do not have to wear full personal protective equipment during transport of highly infectious patients. This allows for longer shifts and reduces the risk of mistakes due to fatigue or reduced situational awareness, Andersen explained.

In addition to 174 Mobile Intensive Care ground Units, EKAB has three Augusta A-109 Power helicopters. It has been recently estimated that approximately 500,000 patients are transported by EKAB per year. Furthermore, 2,000 to 2,500 medical flights were conducted per year.

German air ambulance DRF Luftrettung developed a ground plate for the EpiShuttle, making it even easier to use the isolation pod.