| Helicopter rescue operations involving winching of an emergency physician. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21762912 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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OBJECTIVE: We sought to study the epidemiologic and medical aspects of alpine helicopter rescue operations involving the winching of an emergency physician to the victim. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical and operational reports of a single helicopter-based emergency medical service. Data from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2008 were analysed. RESULTS: A total of 921 patients were identified, with a male:female ratio of 2:1. There were 56 (6%) patients aged 15 or under. The median time from emergency call to helicopter take-off was 7min (IQR=5-10min). 840 (91%) patients suffered from trauma-related injuries, with falls from heights during sports activities the most frequent event. The most common injuries involved the legs (246 or 27%), head (175 or 19%), upper limbs (117 or 13%), spine (108 or 12%), and femur (66 or 7%). Only 81 (9%) victims suffered from a medical emergency, but these cases were, when compared to the trauma victims, significantly more severe according to the NACA index (p<0.001). Overall, 246 (27%) patients had a severe injury or illness, namely, a potential or overt vital threat (NACA score between 4 and 6). A total of 478 (52%) patients required administration of major analgesics: fentanyl (443 patients or 48%), ketamine (42 patients or 5%) or morphine (7 patients or 1%). The mean dose of fentanyl was 188 micrograms (range 25-750, SD 127). Major medical interventions such as administration of vasoactive drugs, intravenous perfusions of more than 1000ml of fluids, ventilation or intubation were performed on 39 (4%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: The severity of the patients' injuries or illnesses along with the high proportion of medical procedures performed directly on-site validates emergency physician winching for advanced life support procedures and analgesia. |
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Authors:
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M Pasquier; V Geiser; M De Riedmatten; P N Carron |
Publication Detail:
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Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE Date: 2011-7-13 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Injury Volume: - ISSN: 1879-0267 ISO Abbreviation: - Publication Date: 2011 Jul |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2011-7-18 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0226040 Medline TA: Injury Country: - |
Other Details:
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Languages: ENG Pagination: - Citation Subset: - |
Copyright Information:
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Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
Affiliation:
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Emergency Service, University Hospital Center, Lausanne, Switzerland; Air-Glaciers, Maison FXB du Sauvetage, Sion, Switzerland. |
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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