• Jure Colnaric, Rana Bachir, and Mazen J El Sayed.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon; University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
• J Emerg Med. 2020 Dec 1; 59 (6): 884-893.

BackgroundHelicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) dispatch currently depends on predefined protocols, on first responders' initial assessment, or on medical direction decision in some states. National guidelines do not provide recommendations concerning prehospital time criteria.ObjectiveOur aim was to investigate the association between the mode of transportation (HEMS vs. ground EMS [GEMS]) and survival of adult patients with blunt trauma across different prehospital time intervals.MethodsThis retrospective matched cohort study was carried out using the 2015 National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) dataset. Adult patients with blunt injuries transported via HEMS were selected and matched (1 to 1) for 13 variables to those who were transported by GEMS. Survival rates were calculated for the two groups across different prehospital time intervals.ResultsPatients transported by HEMS (n = 16,269) were compared with those transported by GEMS (n = 16,269). Most patients were aged 16 to 64 years (84.0%), male (69.4%), and white (88.0%). Overall survival rate to hospital discharge was significantly higher in the HEMS group (96.8% vs. 96.2%; p = 0.002). Patients transported by HEMS had higher survival rates in the ≤ 30-min interval (97.7% vs. 93.2%; p = 0.004); GEMS patients had higher survival rates in the 61- to 90-min interval (97.4% vs. 96.5%; p = 0.038). No difference in survival rates between the two groups was observed in intervals > 90 min.ConclusionsIn adult patients with blunt trauma, HEMS transport was associated with overall improved survival rates mainly in the first 30 min after injury. GEMS transport, however, had a survival advantage in the 61- to 90-min total prehospital time interval.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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