How to transport a polar bear, and other idiosyncrasies in providing emergency medical services in the Arctic
Emergency helicopters in Norway’s northern Svalbard archipelago sometimes take unusual passengers, write Astrid K V Harring and colleagues Six hundred miles north of mainland Norway, deep in the Arctic Circle, the Svalbard archipelago spans over 60 000 km2, with a population of just 2596. Longyearbyen, the “capital city,” has a small hospital to provide primary and emergency care. The hospital has 24 staff,1 including three doctors and at least one surgeon. Longyearbyen also has a fire department that has one ambulance with a stretcher. With few roads and rugged terrain, Svalbard has two search and rescue helicopters that also provide helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS)—and unusual transfer missions.2 Each helicopter crew includes a medical rescue technician, and one has an anaesthetist. The helicopters carry the same equipment as mainland HEMS bases, including a handheld ultrasound machine and blood products.2 Annually the crews conduct over 80 missions, mostly search and resc
