• C Christian S Høyer, Erika F Christensen, and Niels T Andersen.
• Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Trauma Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. csh@dadlnet.dk
• Eur J Emerg Med. 2006 Jun 1;13(3):156-9.

ObjectivesSevere injury is the leading cause of death among the young. Trauma systems have improved management of the severely injured and increased survival rates, but there is no level-1 evidence of advanced prehospital trauma care. Advanced prehospital trauma care prolongs on-scene time, which may imply a risk of significant delay in definitive trauma care. The aim of this study was to evaluate on-scene time and influence of (1) the presence of an anaesthesiologist on-scene, (2) prehospital intubation, (3) entrapment, and (4) injury severity.MethodsA cohort of registry-based patients brought to Aarhus Trauma Centre. Data were consecutively reported. On-scene time was defined as the time from vehicle arrival to departure. Severe injury is defined by an injury severity score >15. The study was conducted over the period 1998-2000; only patients brought primarily to the trauma centre were included. Statistical tests used include chi, Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon's rank sum and Spearman's rho.ResultsSeven hundred and forty-one patients triaged to Aarhus Trauma Centre from which we obtained all information in 596 cases constituted the study group. In 472 cases, an anaesthesiologist was present. On-scene times, median and 95% confidence interval, were as follows: entire study group (n=596) 15.5 min (15-17); ambulance only: 14.0 min (12-15); anaesthesiologist present, no intubation, no entrapment: 15.0 min (14-16); intubation, no entrapment: 21.5 min (16-27); entrapment, no intubation: 21.5 min (17-25); both intubation and entrapment: 22.0 min (16-36).ConclusionThe presence of an anaesthesiologist prolonged the median on-scene time by 1 min and in cases of prehospital intubation by 7.5 min. This result was no different from the prolongation caused by entrapment.

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