The World's Largest Ambulance

16-May-2009

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Can't make it to the nearest hospital? Then allow the hospital come to you!

Three Mercedes-Benz buses have been converted into mobile hospitals to enable rapid medical assistance in the event of major emergencies, such as accidents or disasters with large numbers of injury victims.

As is well-known, the survival chances of very seriously injured persons in large measure depend on rapid first-aid treatment, and this is the purpose of these large-capacity ambulances.

Particularly owing to the chaotic traffic conditions in and around disaster areas, there are often delays in getting patients to a hospital.

Equally often, there are an insufficient number of ambulances available.

While a two-man crew is normally only able to care for one patient in an emergency ambulance, up to 20 people can receive care from four specialist personnel in the Mercedes-Benz large-capacity ambulance.

These new emergency vehicles now offer the unique possibilities of a fully equipped, mobile clinic with an intensive-care unit and an operating theatre.

The world's largest ambulance

A tour of these buses quickly shows that this is no exaggeration with three variations having been produced.

Bus variant A is designed as a mobile intensive care unit, variant B for the large-scale treatment and transport of medium to slightly injured patients, and variant C as a combination of the two.

This variant alone has enough treatment and transport capacity for more than 80 patients.

The very latest medical equipment

There are three observation bays in the interior of the intensive-care bus, and one of these can be converted into a fully-functioning operating theatre.

The technical equipment used to monitor patients covers the entire range, including an ECG and - as a genuine world first - an InSpectra shock monitor with which the oxygen saturation in tissue-matter can be monitored by simply placing a sensor on the palm.

This brilliant development breakthrough is able to warn doctors of the onset of shock minutes before it occurs, so that appropriate countermeasures can be taken.

Internal bleeding can also be detected and monitored with this unit.

Further diagnosis is possible using X-rays and ultrasonic equipment.

The Mercedes-Benz large-capacity ambulances are equipped with the world's smallest X-ray unit, whose output is so low that precautions such as lead screens are unnecessary.

The X-ray images are shown on a computer monitor in real time.

During treatment the patient lies on an operating table which is lit by fully-fledged operating theatre lights.

A wide variety of operations and treatments can be carried out using disposable instrument sets. The Mercedes-Benz large-capacity ambulances are also well-equipped if the need for a caesarian birth arises. Not only are the necessary obstetrical instruments on board, but the newborn or premature baby can also be given the proper care in an incubator.

The onboard supply of oxygen for patients posed a particular challenge, as this is a major factor in the treatment of injured people. Each of the buses carries 12,000 litres of oxygen, ensuring a reliable supply for up to three days. The gas is fed to the different seating areas by separate lines. Pressing a button causes oxygen masks to fall from special holders, and the oxygen flow to each mask can be individually controlled.

An operator station at the front of these vehicles allows external communication by telephone, radio, internet and fax.

A laptop is included in the equipment, as is a large LCD monitor which enables the individual areas in the large-capacity ambulance to be monitored.

Converting the Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses into ambulances took around 700 hours.