Helicopter transport of trauma patients is a controversial topic. Most agree there is a cohort of severely and specifically injured patients who receive important benefits from HEMS versus ground transportation. However, it is reasonably suggested from registry studies those patients are rather few. And, if only a subset of seriously injured patients benefit from HEMS, then, certainly the minimally injured patient does not.
But, unfortunately, flights of the minimally injured are hardly infrequent.
This is a retrospective review of all trauma transports at a single academic center in Arizona. “Minimally injured” was defined as an ISS of 5 or lower, and who did not require intensive care or operative intervention. Over the six years of the study period, this center received 3,992 ground transports, 39% of which were minimally injured. They also received 981 HEMS arrivals – 27% of which were minimally injured.
Or, approximately $4.8 million burned for no benefit on just pre-hospital transportation by helicopter.
The authors’ title says it all:
“Overuse of helicopter transport in the minimally injured: A health care system problem that should be corrected”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25710420