Top

Published in:

01-12-2020 | Care | Editorial

Interfacility helicopter transfers for critically ill patients: always the right choice?

Authors: Hasan Hawilo, Ravi Taneja

Published in: Critical Care | Issue 1/2020

Excerpt

A mechanically ventilated patient was transported by air ambulance from a community hospital intensive care unit (ICU) to a leading tertiary center. Door-to-door travel time was 42 min, which included 12 min airborne and 30 min of transfer time. With only 58 km between the referring and receiving hospital, a ground ambulance under similar conditions would have taken 46 min. While it is intuitive to believe that air is generally quicker and hence better than a ground transfer, was the decision appropriate? How should critical care physicians decide when to use a limited and expensive resource like helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) for their patients? …

Nickerson C. Air ambulance and critical care transport resource allocation process review. Emergency Health Services: British Columbia; 2014. http://www.bcehs.ca/about-site/Documents/Report-Air-Ambulance-and-Critical-Care-Transport-Resource-Allocation-Process-Review.pdf. Accessed 30 Jan 2020.

Petrie DA, Tallon JM, Crowell W, Cain E, Martell P, McManus D. Medically appropriate use of helicopter EMS: the mission acceptance/triage process. Air Med J. 2007;26(1):50–4.CrossRef

MacIsaac M. Ontario’s emergency health services - sector review: Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care; 2018. https://agendasonline.greatersudbury.ca/index.cfm?pg=feed&action=file&agenda=report&itemid=4&id=1278. Accessed 30 Jan 2020.

Walcott BP, Coumans JV, Mian MK, Nahed BV, Kahle KT. Interfacility helicopter ambulance transport of neurosurgical patients: observations, utilization, and outcomes from a quaternary level care hospital. PLoS One. 2011;6(10):e26216. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0026216.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Jones A, Donald MJ, Jansen JO. Evaluation of the provision of helicopter emergency medical services in Europe. Emerg Med J. 2018;35(12):720–5.PubMed

Nicholl J, Turner J, Stevens K, O’keeffe C, Cross L, Goodacre S, Snooks H. A review of the costs and benefits of helicopter emergency ambulance services in England and Wales: Final report to the Department of Health. University of Sheffield: Medical Care Research Unit; 2003. https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.44101!/file/MCRU-HEASrev-2003.pdf. Accessed 30 Jan 2020.

Borst GM, Davies SW, Waibel BH, Leonard KL, Rinehar SM, Newell MA, Goettler CE, Bard MR, Poulin NR, Toschlog EA. When birds can’t fly: an analysis of interfacility ground transport using advanced life support when helicopter emergency medical service is unavailable. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2014;77(2):331–7.CrossRef

Karanicolas PJ, Bhatia P, Williamson J, Malthaner RA, Parry NG, Girotti MJ, Gray DK. The fastest route between two points is not always a straight line: an analysis of air and land transfer of nonpenetrating trauma patients. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2006;61(2):396–403.CrossRef

Special Report: Ornge air ambulance and related services. Office of the Auditor General of Ontario; 2012. http://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/specialreports/specialreports/ornge_web_en.pdf. Accessed 30 Jan 2020.

10.

Taylor CB, Stevenson M, Jan S, Middleton PM, Fitzharris M, Myburgh JA. A systematic review of the costs and benefits of helicopter emergency medical services. Injury. 2010;41(1):10–20.CrossRef

11.

Doucet J, Bulger E, Sanddal N, Fallat M, Bromberg W, Gestring M. Appropriate use of helicopter emergency medical services for transport of trauma patients: guidelines from the Emergency Medical System Subcommittee, Committee on Trauma, American College of Surgeons. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2013;75(4):734–41.CrossRef

12.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2018 https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle. Accessed 30 Jan 2020.

13.

Conklin & de Decker Aviation Information Database. https://www.conklindd.com/CDALibrary/CO2Calc.aspx. Accessed 30 Jan 2020.

14.

Brown JB, Stassen NA, Bankey PE, Sangosanya AT, Cheng JD, Gestring ML. Helicopters improve survival in seriously injured patients requiring interfacility transfer for definitive care. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2011;70(2):310–4.CrossRef

15.

Fatahi A, Donmez B, Ahghari M, MacDonald RD. Air versus ground vehicle decisions for interfacility air medical transport. In: Lim G, Herrmann JW, editors. Proceedings of the 2012 Industrial and Systems Engineering Research Conference. Orlando. Norcross: Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering. 2012. p. 1–8. https://hfast.mie.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/Publications/5_Fatahi_Donmez_Ahghari_MacDonald_ISERC_2012.pdf. Accessed 30 Jan 2020..

Title: Interfacility helicopter transfers for critically ill patients: always the right choice?
Authors: Hasan Hawilo
Ravi Taneja
Publication date: 01-12-2020
Publisher: BioMed Central
Keyword: Care
Published in: Critical Care / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1364-8535
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-020-02846-1

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Interfacility helicopter transfers for critically ill patients: always the right choice?

Excerpt

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Excerpt

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 1/2020

Performance and impact of a multiplex PCR in ICU patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia or ventilated hospital-acquired pneumonia

Variability in usual care fluid resuscitation and risk-adjusted outcomes for mechanically ventilated patients in shock

Myoglobin clearance with continuous veno-venous hemodialysis using high cutoff dialyzer versus continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration using high-flux dialyzer: a prospective randomized controlled trial

Clinical controversies in anticoagulation monitoring and antithrombin supplementation for ECMO

Renal replacement therapy is independently associated with a lower risk of death in patients with severe acute kidney injury treated with targeted temperature management after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

The gut microbiome’s role in the development, maintenance, and outcomes of sepsis