AAMedP-1.20 medical equipment for aeromedical evacuation

What it is

AAMedP-1.20 is a short NATO Allied Aeromedical Publication that sets out qualitative guidance on the medical equipment an aeromedical evacuation (AE) mission should have on hand. The current edition is Edition A, Version 1, promulgated in July 2018. As an Allied Publication it sits under STANAG 7112, the agreement through which NATO nations adopt the Allied Aeromedical Publication series, though AAMedP-1.20's own text does not discuss that mechanism directly.

The document states its own purpose plainly: it exists "to establish qualitative guidelines with respect to the medical materials required to ensure that Aeromedical Evacuation (AE) of casualties can be performed securely, from a medical and an aeronautical standpoint." It is guidance, not a procurement specification, and it says so of itself. It names no drugs, no devices by brand, and no clinical protocol; every list of recommended equipment it gives is introduced as non-exhaustive, and this page does not reproduce any of those lists.

Three phases of evacuation

The document works through three phases in turn, each defined by where in an evacuation chain it sits rather than by any fixed distance or duration.

Forward AE covers evacuation "between the point of injury or illness and the first Medical Treatment Facility within the area of operations," usually flown by helicopter. Space, noise, vibration and available electrical power are the binding constraints here: equipment usually runs on batteries, and the document is explicit that on-board equipment, in-flight procedures and medical supervision are all limited by the aircraft itself. The in-flight medical team's goals are built around bleeding, airway, breathing and circulation care, handling and immobilisation, and managing pain, infection and nursing needs during the flight.

Tactical AE covers evacuation "between medical treatment facilities within the area of operations," typically by a fixed-wing tactical aircraft able to use short or basic airstrips, or by rotary-wing aircraft. Flight times run longer than forward AE, and where space and weight allow it, the document says this phase supports "a higher level of en route care and treatment with more sophisticated medical equipment" than the forward phase.

Strategic AE covers evacuation from medical treatment facilities within the area of operations out to facilities beyond it, or between facilities already outside it, usually on long-range, long-duration flights where the aircraft itself typically supplies power and oxygen. The document describes space and weight as "usually not a constraining issue" at this phase, and it recommends the most sophisticated equipment it covers, including specific devices for use where a specialised medical team travels with the patient.

Equipment, aircraft and certification

Choice of equipment is not left to preference. The document requires that "all equipment for AE must be airworthy, and has to be certified for the aircraft," and used according to the aircraft's own certification standards and its aviation authority. Team composition and equipment are "tailored to the patient's physical and psychological needs," and both are constrained by the size of the airframe, particularly on forward missions. This certification is an aviation certification of the equipment and the aircraft, issued by an aviation authority. It is not a certificate a medical service, a defence organisation or a supplier can hold, and AAMedP-1.20 names no scheme by which an organisation is assessed or certified against it.

What this document does not cover

AAMedP-1.20 stops at what equipment a mission should carry and the in-flight care goals around it. It does not set clinical protocols, name drugs or specific devices, specify a procurement requirement a supplier could quote against, or describe how equipment is maintained once fielded. Nothing in it obliges a commercial supplier directly: the decisions it describes are made by national medical and aeromedical evacuation services planning a mission, not by whoever manufactures or sells equipment into that supply chain.

Getting the document

NATO publishes AAMedP-1.20 free of charge through the NATO Standardization Document Database; the NSDD listing for AAMedP-1.20 is the source. ComplyTrain does not sell it or hold a copy for distribution. It is covered by STANAG 7112, the agreement through which NATO nations adopt the Allied Aeromedical Publication series.