Helicopter Emergency Medical Services for Trauma Patient Transport: A Single Center Experience and Literature Review

doi:2014.4.1.24

J Acute Care Surg > Volume 4(1); 2014 > Article

Original Article

05,01

Journal of Acute Care Surgery 2014;4(1):24-27.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17479/jacs.2014.4.1.24 Published online April 30, 2014.

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services for Trauma Patient Transport: A Single Center Experience and Literature Review

외상환자의 헬리콥터 이송의 경험

문종환^*ㆍ김지영^*ㆍ정경원^*ㆍ김영환^*ㆍ윤석화^*ㆍ김은자^*ㆍ허윤정^†ㆍ이국종^*

^*아주대학교 의과대학 외과학교실 외상외과, ^†아주대학교 의과대학 인문사회의학교실

Received: 10 April 2014 • Revised: 12 April 2014 • Accepted: 13 April 2014

Abstract

Purpose
Time from the scene to the hospital for critically injured patients is crucial. Because helicopters are capable of higher speeds over longer distances without regard to difficult terrain, they can potentially afford an injured patient improved survival over ground trans-port modalities. We hypothesize that patient survival will be different if the attendant is a physician compared to a paramedic.Methods: One hundred fifty seven patients transported by helicopter run by the National Emergency Management Agency and Gyeonggi-do Fire Services from March 2011 to April 2013 were identified by review of their medical records. Results: There was no survival difference between physician and paramedical helicopter emergency services, but Injury Severity Scores (ISS) of patients with physician helicopter emergency services were significantly higher (p＜0.0001). Conclusion: A physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service can improve survival in patients with traumatic injury. (J Acute Care Surg 2014;4:24-27)

Key Words: Air ambulances, Emergency medical services, Trauma centers