Airport security check of medical substances used during patient repatriation

Abstract

During airport security check of passenger luggage, hazardous items and substances are prohibited to be taken into the restricted safety zone of the airport and the aircraft. Among equipment of the medical staff escorting the patient, there are several devices and materials which are considered hazardous for security reasons. However, medical equipment and substances are indispensable for treating patients during the flight. The aim of the author was to present his experience obtained with the use of an instrument developed for testing liquids, aerosols and gels for security reasons. An instrument based on Raman spectroscopy was used for the identification of medical substances. The results confirmed that the instrument was able to recognize the tested medical substances. The non-destructive testing maintained sample integrity and asepsis. The data indicate that the instrument has a promising utility for the identification of medical substances. It seems important that during repatriation medical substances should be selected not only on the ground of their medical necessity, but their packaging should be also taken into consideration. It is necessary to perform more tests on different medical substances used in emergency care in order to make the database of medical substances stored in the library of instrument more complete.