Articles: emergency-medical-services.
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This report reviews the history of the development of civilian helicopter ambulance program as a component of a total emergency medical services (EMS) system. Current literature demonstrates significant reduction in trauma mortality for those patients transported by air either from the scene of the accident or from an outlying hospital to a trauma center. The primary factor is not the speed of the transport but administration of life-saving care by the helicopter medical crew at the scene of the accident or at the outlying hospital. Regulations have been developed to assure proper patient selection, quality care, safety, and minimization of misuse of this expensive resource.
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Emergency physicians often encounter patients who have suffered burn injuries. Most are minor in nature but approximately 100,000 a year are true emergencies. Regardless of severity, the emergency physician and staff must possess the evaluative skills and knowledge of current treatment regimens to appropriately treat these patients. ⋯ Airway injuries, trauma other than the burn injury, treatment of shock, and pain relief are of the highest priority, overriding the management of the burn wound itself. The care that the minor burn victim receives is critical to ultimate outcome; the care that the major burn victim receives is critical to both immediate survival and ultimate outcome. The emergency physician must provide optimal care to ensure optimal results.