Trauma patients taken by chopper may fare better
“It certainly doesn’t make sense to take a helicopter if you are within 30 minutes by ground,” said Galvagno. But he added, “If it was my family member, I’d want them flown if they didn’t have timely access to a trauma center.”
There is also a cost associated with using helicopters to transport patients.
While cost estimates vary widely, Galvagno and his colleagues estimated that each helicopter transport costs about $5,000 in Maryland, where flights are typically done by the state police.
Association Between Helicopter vs Ground Emergency Medical Services and Survival for Adults With Major Trauma
Results A total of 61 909 patients were transported by helicopter and 161 566 patients were transported by ground. Overall, 7813 patients (12.6%) transported by helicopter died compared with 17 775 patients (11%) transported by ground services. Before propensity score matching, patients transported by helicopter to level I and level II trauma centers had higher Injury Severity Scores. In the propensity score–matched multivariable regression model, for patients transported to level I trauma centers, helicopter transport was associated with an improved odds of survival compared with ground transport (odds ratio [OR], 1.16; 95% CI, 1.14-1.17; P < .001; absolute risk reduction [ARR], 1.5%). For patients transported to level II trauma centers, helicopter transport was associated with an improved odds of survival (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.13-1.17; P < .001; ARR, 1.4%). A greater proportion (18.2%) of those transported to level I trauma centers by helicopter were discharged to rehabilitation compared with 12.7% transported by ground services (P < .001), and 9.3% transported by helicopter were discharged to intermediate facilities compared with 6.5% by ground services (P < .001). Fewer patients transported by helicopter left level II trauma centers against medical advice (0.5% vs 1.0%, P < .001).
Conclusion Among patients with major trauma admitted to level I or level II trauma centers, transport by helicopter compared with ground services was associated with improved survival to hospital discharge after controlling for multiple known confounders.
Samuel M. Galvagno Jr,
Elliott R. Haut,
S. Nabeel Zafar,
Michael G. Millin,
David T. Efron,
George J. Koenig Jr,
Susan P. Baker,
Stephen M. Bowman,
Peter J. Pronovost,
Adil H. Haider
JAMA. 2012;307(15):1602-1610.doi:10.1001/jama.2012.467
That means $325,000 would be spent transporting people to the most specialized trauma centers for each life saved, they calculated.
Galvagno said that amount is not insignificant, but is comparable to other lifesaving procedures such as open-heart surgery.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, online April 17, 2012.
Provided by ArmMed Media