Air versus ground transport study published
Which factors are most commonly associated with selection for helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) transport over a ground ambulance transport?
In a recent article in the Air Medical Journal, a group of experts from the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine in US, published the results of a study that aimed to identify which factors are most commonly associated with selection for helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) transport over a ground ambulance transport, in a state that is primarily rural in nature, for paediatric patients.
The authors performed a retrospective case-control study of trauma patients younger than 18 years old reported to the Oklahoma State Trauma Registry between 2005 and 2014 who received direct transport from the scene of injury to a tertiary trauma centre within the state. Factors associated with HEMS transport over GEMS were identified by multivariate regression analysis.
Of the 1,700 patients in the study group, 50.8 per cent were transported by HEMS. The study found that Increased distance (odds ratio (OR) = 6.1-18.6), lower Glasgow Coma Scale (OR = 2.5), multisystem injury (OR = 1.5), intubation (OR = 2.7), motor vehicle collision–related injuries (OR = 2.1), and elevated heart rate (OR = 1.8) were all associated with increased odds of HEMS transport, with distance being the strongest factor.