Helicopter-based emergency medical services for a sparsely populated region: A study of 42,500 dispatches

Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
Ø ØsteråsJ-K Heltne

Abstract

The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) in Norway is operated day and night, despite challenging geography and weather. In Western Norway, three ambulance helicopters, with a rapid response car as an alternative, cover close to 1 million inhabitants in an area of 45,000 km(2) . Our objective was to assess patterns of emergency medical problems and treatments in HEMS in a geographically large, but sparsely populated region. Data from all HEMS dispatches during 2004-2013 were assessed retrospectively. Information was analyzed with respect to patient treatment and characteristics, in addition to variations in services use during the day, week, and seasons. A total of 42,456 dispatches were analyzed. One third of the patients encountered were severely ill or injured, and two thirds of these received advanced treatment. Median activation time and on-scene time in primary helicopter missions were 5 and 11 min, respectively. Most patients (95%) were reached within 45 min by helicopter or rapid response car. Patterns of use did not change. More than one third of all dispatches were declined or aborted, mostly due to no longer medical indication, bad weather conditions, or competing missions. One third of the patients encountere...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jun 22, 2016·Injury Prevention : Journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention·Jo RøislienJ Theresia van Essen
Mar 24, 2018·Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica·B O ReidA J Krüger
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Aug 31, 2018·BMC Emergency Medicine·Daniel KornhallMikael Gellerfors
Apr 7, 2019·Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine·Karen AlstrupThea Palsgaard Møller
Feb 14, 2019·Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine·Ilkka PulkkinenPäivi Laukkanen-Nevala
Apr 30, 2019·Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care·Erik ZakariassenRagnar Hotvedt
Jan 10, 2019·Acta Cirúrgica Brasileira·Eric Lucas Dos Santos CabralAldo Cunha Medeiros
Sep 25, 2017·Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine·Øyvind ØsteråsGuttorm Brattebø
Mar 22, 2021·Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine·Caroline J JagtenbergJo Røislien
Jun 8, 2021·Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care·Henrik HauståkerErik Zakariassen
Aug 14, 2021·Prehospital Emergency Care : Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors·John W LyngAshley Larrimore

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