MEDEVAC

A MEDEVAC is an acronym for "medical evacuation."

Related Topics:
Acronym - Medical - Evacuation

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The term MEDEVAC is usually applied to a vehicle, plane or helicopter used as an ambulance (sometimes called an "air ambulance"). This permits the rapid transport of seriously injured persons, particularly trauma patients, from the scene of the accident to the hospital. News accounts of such transportation often use the term "airlifted", though MEDEVAC is a common term in the civilian world as well. Most patients transported by MEDEVAC are taken to a specialized hospital known as a trauma center.

Related Topics:
Vehicle - Plane - Helicopter - Ambulance - Air ambulance - Trauma - Hospital - Trauma center

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The technique has its roots in the establishment of the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service, which was established in 1928 to bring doctors to patients and patients to hospitals from the remote outback. Inevitably, the immense military potential of the practice was realized with the development of the helicopter. The U.S. Army pioneered this lifesaving technique during the Korean War. They established semi-permanent field hospitals immediately behind the front lines, which allowed wounded soldiers to receive complete medical treatment after only a short helicopter flight. This military tactic was popularized in the 1970s TV series M*A*S*H.

Related Topics:
Australia - Royal Flying Doctor Service - Military - Helicopter - U.S. Army - Korean War - 1970s - M*A*S*H

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In the US Military, a MEDEVAC unit is an Army helicopter unit that functions as the primary means of evacuation in combat.

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