• Kathleen S Berns, Jeffery J Caniglia, Daniel G Hankins, and Scott P Zietlow.
• Mayo Medical Transport, Saint Marys Hospital, Rochester, MN 55902, USA.
• Air Med. J. 2003 May 1; 22 (3): 35-41.

IntroductionAutolaunch is a method of dispatching whereby the dispatcher can send the helicopter to a scene, as opposed to traditional request-driven dispatch. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in patient outcomes when autolaunch was used. A 2-year period, July 1997 through June 1999, was studied.MethodsA case control design was used. A retrospective chart review included 17 autolaunch and 16 traditionally dispatched patients. Patients were matched using Injury Severity Scores, Glasgow Coma Scale, and age. Eight matched pairs were used for statistical analysis. Three research questions were answered.ResultsThe difference in time from accident to helicopter arrival was 3.64 minutes faster for autolaunch (statistical significance P =.336). Mortality data showed no statistical significance difference (P =.302). Intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stays were both decreased with the use of autolaunch, although not statistically significantly.DiscussionSample size was small, making statistical significance difficult to achieve despite decreased length of stays and quicker time to the scene.ConclusionAlthough statistical significance was not found with the use of autolaunch, patient outcomes still were improved by this method. Information provided could be used by helicopter programs considering implementing autolaunch.

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