Critical Care Air Transport Team

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Military medical evacuation team


A Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT) is a specialized medical team within the United States Air Force that provides advanced medical care to critically ill or injured patients during aeromedical evacuation. These teams are an integral part of the Air Mobility Command and are designed to operate in austere environments, providing life-sustaining care while transporting patients over long distances.

Composition and Training[edit | edit source]

A typical CCATT consists of three members: a physician, a critical care nurse, and a respiratory therapist. Each member of the team is highly trained in critical care medicine and aeromedical evacuation procedures. The training for CCATT personnel includes advanced courses in trauma care, aerospace medicine, and flight physiology.

Equipment[edit | edit source]

CCATTs are equipped with portable medical equipment that allows them to monitor and treat patients in-flight. This includes ventilators, cardiac monitors, infusion pumps, and other critical care devices. The equipment is designed to be compact and lightweight, suitable for use in the confined space of a military aircraft.

Mission and Operations[edit | edit source]

The primary mission of a CCATT is to stabilize and transport critically ill or injured patients from the point of injury or a forward medical facility to a higher level of care. This often involves long-distance flights aboard C-17 Globemaster III or C-130 Hercules aircraft. CCATTs are capable of providing care equivalent to that found in an intensive care unit (ICU) during these flights.

History[edit | edit source]

The concept of the CCATT was developed in the 1990s in response to the need for rapid and effective transport of critically injured patients from the battlefield to advanced medical facilities. Since then, CCATTs have been deployed in various military operations, including Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Challenges[edit | edit source]

Operating in the unique environment of an aircraft presents several challenges for CCATTs. These include managing the effects of altitude on patients, limited space, and the need for rapid decision-making in a dynamic environment. Despite these challenges, CCATTs have proven to be highly effective in improving survival rates for critically injured patients.

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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD