Assessment of air emergency missions in the outcome of patients transferred to health centers in East Azerbaijan province from Mordad 93 to Esfand 95

Abstract

Air ambulances are widely used for transporting the wounded, transporting equipment and troops to the beds of patients and the wounded, assessing accidents from the sky, transporting transplanted organs and delivering expensive emergency medicines and antidotes. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients transported by Helicopter Emergency Medical Services in East Azerbaijan Province. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out on patients transported by HEMS center of Tabriz from August 2014 to March 2017. Records of the center were used to collect data. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS software version 20; the statistical significance level was considered below 0.05. Results: A total of 268 patients were transferred to Tabriz hospitals by 167 missions performed. The mean age of patients was 34.26 ± 19.43, and 173(65%) patients were male. The most common reason for call-out was the need for professional care (91.4%). The target of the majority of missions was on countryside routes. The mean distance of destinations was about 99.13±35.9 Kms, with a mean transference time of 54.68±14.17 minutes, while the mean estimated ground route time was 86.38 ± 26.26 minutes. The most prevalent diagnosis was trauma; The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and vital signs of the majority of patients were above 13 and stable respectively. About 98 percent of patients received fluid therapy, and 71 percent were immobilized, and only 6 percent needed intubation. Also, 28 percent of patients needed Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 56 percent of whom passed away later