The use of the rescue helicopter,,Christoph 15 Straubing" for the transport
of infectious patients during an epidemic of Meningococci high-lighted hyg
ienic and logistic problems. The article lists infectious syndromes which r
equire specific hygienic precautions and those which are not recommended fo
r transport by air. The official recommendations for protection and desinfe
ction are discussed, considering the special features of air rescue, and mo
dified on the understanding of evidence based medicine.
An algorithm for acceptance of a patient for transport is presented. In con
junction with the described hygienic precautions we propose this algorithm
to serve as a model for service instructions for the air rescue service of
the German Automobile Association (ADAC).