Citation

Meyer MT, Gourlay DM, Weitze KC, Ship MD, Drayna PC, Rn CW, Brooke Lerner E. J. Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2015; 80(2): 313-317.

Affiliation

Medical College of Wisconsin.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/TA.0000000000000904

PMID

26491808

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) provide an important service to decrease interfacility transport times compared to ground ambulances. Although transport via HEMS is typically faster, the decreased transportation time comes at the expense of increased risks to the patient and flight crew, and higher costs. Therefore, it is important to balance the immediate patient needs with the risk and expense of HEMS transport. Our objective was to determine how frequently pediatric patients who are interfacility-transported to a level 1 pediatric trauma center (PTC) receive a time-sensitive intervention.

METHODS: This was a four year (2008-2012) retrospective study of children aged 0 to 18 years who were interfacility-transported to a single Level 1 PTC by HEMS. Patients were identified using the trauma registry at the PTC. A previously published outcome was used to determine if patients received time-sensitive interventions. Driving distance to the PTC was determined using Google Maps. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS: 207 cases were identified, median age 7 IQR: 2-12 years, 29% female, median Injury Severity Score (ISS) 11 and median Revised Trauma Score (RTS) 8. 43% (90 patients; 95% CI: 37-50%) of patients received a time-sensitive intervention, these cases had a median age of 6 IQR:2-11 years, 32% female, median ISS 13 and median RTS 8. Of the 117 patients who did not receive time-sensitive interventions, 81% were within 120 driving miles of the PTC and 49% were within 60 miles.

CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests an overutilization of HEMS for interfacility transfer of injured pediatric patients to a PTC. Although these patients likely required the resources of a PTC, they could perhaps have been transported by ground ambulance without detriment. Further research is needed to investigate how interfacility transport modes are selected and if these decisions can be improved without increasing evaluation times at transferring facilities.

Language: en