Duke Life Flight

Duke Life Flight serves both the local region and beyond as a premier critical care transport agency, utilizing both air and ground vehicles to not only transport patients, but also provide excellent care. Frequently, Life Flight crews can be found transporting patients from smaller hospitals to the Duke Emergency Department for definitive care at a tertiary facility and Level 1 trauma center, as well as interfacing with EMS agencies to bring patients to Duke directly from the scene in cases of trauma, STEMI, and stroke. There is a deeply intertwined relationship between Duke Life Flight and Duke Emergency Medicine, not only in the realm of patient care on a daily basis, but also in clinical oversight and education. Recently, Duke EM faculty members Dr. Jason Theiling and Dr. JJ Hoff were promoted to Medical Director and Assistant Medical Director for Duke Life Flight, respectively. 

In addition to critical care transport, Duke Life Flight also serves Duke Hospital through the Code Team, as well as the Duke and Durham community through its Event Medicine program. The Code Team responds to unexpected emergencies throughout the Duke Hospital Campus, frequently transporting these patients to the Duke Emergency Department for further care. The Event Medicine team provides medical coverage for major events on Duke’s campus, including sporting events, graduations, concerts, and other events with large gatherings of people. Under the medical direction of Dr. JJ Hoff, these highly-skilled teams can provide on-scene medical care to patients and coordinate transport to the Duke Emergency Department as needed. At a Duke Men’s Basketball game last November, Duke Life Flight Event Medicine staff responded to a member of the crowd in distress behind the away team bench. The team quickly determined that the patient was having a massive STEMI, and after stabilizing the patient on site, the patient was quickly transported to the Duke Emergency Department. Efficient coordination and teamwork between Duke Life Flight, Duke Emergency Medicine, and Duke Cardiology allowed for the patient to be in the catheterization lab for a life-saving stent placement less than 45 minutes after the initial distress call in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The strong relationship between Duke Life Flight and Duke Emergency Medicine allows for high-quality patient care to those in the Triangle region, but also to expand its reach beyond to more distant areas.