Study Finds Critically Injured Patients Transported Via Air Fare Better Than Those Transported by Ground

WNEP - June 24, 2006

Washington, DC – A study finds patients with traumatic brain injuries who are transported by medical helicopters have higher chances of survival and better recoveries than ground-transported patients, according to a study published as an early online release by Annals of Emergency Medicine this week (The Impact of Aeromedical Response to Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury).

Helicopters are used in many systems to respond to major trauma victims because of their ability to transport patients rapidly and without delays that may hinder ground transportation. They also often have crews with advanced training and greater experience managing critically injured patients.

“Until now, there has been very little evidence to support whether frequently used air transport provides any more benefit to injured patients than ground transport,” said lead author Daniel P. Davis, MD, University of California San Diego Department of Emergency Medicine, and Mercy Air Medical Services in San Diego.

Drawing on San Diego County Trauma Registry data from January 1987 to December 2003, researchers reviewed a total of 10,314 cases of patients with moderate-to-severe head injuries, including 3,017 patients transported by aeromedical crews.

They found patients with more severe injuries appeared to derive the greatest benefit from aeromedical transport. Those patients transported by air had significantly better recoveries and were more likely than ground-transported patients to be discharged home after treatment, rather than hospitalized. Researchers also found that air-transported patients, who received a breathing tube in the field, also fared better than ground-transported patients who received a breathing tube after arriving in the emergency department.

“Helicopters are not automatically dispatched to the site of a major trauma victim, but instead the decision whether to call for a helicopter is made by an EMS provider who arrives first on the scene,” said Dr. Davis. “Our study is important because it may help EMS providers make more informed decisions about whether the patient would benefit from air transport or not.”

Annals of Emergency Medicine is the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians, a national medical organization with more than 23,000 members. ACEP is committed to improving the quality of emergency care through continuing education, research, and public education.