Technical marvel

Mobile intensive care unit developed for Vienna

The new "bed intensive care transporter" (BIT) of the Vienna Professional Rescue Service

(Bild: Holl Reinhard)

Intensive care patients have to be transferred around 600 times a year in Vienna. From now on, this will be done with a technical marvel on four wheels, with a complete intensive care unit hidden inside. Additional extras make the vehicle safer on the road than any other of its size.

Vienna's professional rescue service spent three years working on a successor model for its 13-year-old intensive care patient transporter. Now the vehicle, the only one of its kind in the world, is ready for use. Rescue organizations in other federal states could "only dream of cars like this", said a delighted Rainer Gottwald, head of the Vienna Professional Rescue Service, at the handover of the vehicle by City Councillor for Health Peter Hacker.

An average of two missions per day
Intensive care patients have to be transferred between hospitals in Vienna around 600 times a year. The new vehicle makes these transports easier for the rescue team and safer for the patients. In addition, the vehicle is used around 60 times a year for severely overweight patients who cannot be transported in normal ambulances. This type of operation is becoming increasingly common, according to the rescue service.

This is what the vehicle looks like.

(Bild: Holl Reinhard)

Extras including special axle suspension
The interior of the transporter, which is based on a latest-generation truck, functions as a complete intensive care unit. Up to 16 pieces of equipment can be attached directly to a new type of stretcher. This guarantees seamless intensive medical care between two hospitals. The body has also been fitted with sound insulation and vibration protection, and all of the truck's axles have air suspension.

Head of Rescue Rainer Gottwald and City Councillor for Health Peter Hacker have now handed over the vehicle to the team.

(Bild: Holl Reinhard)

There are no rear-view mirrors on the vehicle. Instead, there are cameras for an all-round view and, as a safety extra, glazed doors.

(Bild: Holl Reinhard)

Already tested in narrow city center streets
Even if it doesn't look like it: The ten-ton vehicle is even a little narrower than its predecessor and can fit through even the narrowest of alleyways, as we know for certain after tests in the city center. There is also state-of-the-art technology for the driver: instead of rear-view mirrors, cameras provide an all-round view. The ambulance service also wanted glazed vehicle doors for the safety of other road users.

The vehicle is also suitable for longer journeys. However, the city has not considered patients from the provinces who need to be transported from hospitals in Vienna to their home countries for further treatment. The investment of 870,000 euros, including development costs, was not intended to relieve the hospitals, but rather to benefit Vienna and its population exclusively.