The epidemiology of pediatric air medical transports in Utah
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1Intermountain Injury Control Research Center, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City 84108, USA. edma.diller@hsc.utah.edu
Insights
Air medical transport served 874 children in the intermountain region, with helicopter use for trauma and fixed-wing for illness. Some patients could have used ground transport safely.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care
- Emergency medical services
- Aeromedical transport
Background:
- Primary Children's Medical Center (PCMC) is a key pediatric tertiary care and referral center in the intermountain region.
- Air medical transport systems play a crucial role in accessing specialized pediatric care for remote populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize air-transported pediatric patients at PCMC.
- To detail prehospital medical services and associated costs for air medical transports.
- To analyze patient demographics, diagnoses, and transport modalities.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of air-transported patients (aged ≤17) treated at PCMC between 1991-1992.
- Exclusion of interfacility transports and newborns.
- Data collection from medical records, transport logs, and hospital financial data.
Main Results:
- 874 pediatric patients utilized air transport from nine states.
- Helicopter transports (n=561) predominantly served trauma cases (56%), while fixed-wing (n=313) served illness-related conditions (62%).
- Children with special healthcare needs constituted 20% of transports, and 21% of helicopter transports were scene-based.
Conclusions:
- Air-transported pediatric patients generally presented with higher injury severity than ground-transported counterparts.
- Opportunities exist for optimizing air medical resource utilization, as some patients may not have required air transport.
- Analysis highlights the critical role of aeromedical services in pediatric tertiary care delivery.
Objective:
To describe the air-transported patients treated at Primary Children's Medical Center (PCMC), the sole pediatric tertiary care center in Utah and a referral center in the intermountain region. This study describes the patients who utilized the air medical transport system, the medical services provided in the prehospital setting, and the corresponding charges for transport and treatment.
Methods:
Participants were air-transported patients aged 17 years and less who were treated at PCMC during the calendar years 1991-1992. The study population excluded patients who were transported to other medical facilities, and newborns. Data were abstracted retrospectively from the patients' medical and transport records. Data collected included demographic information, patient diagnoses, and treatments performed during transport. Financial data were supplied by the hospital.
Results:
During the study period, 874 pediatric patients met the participant criteria. Helicopter and fixed-wing transports comprised 561 and 313, respectively, from nine states in the mountain and western regions. The majority (313, 56%) of the patients transported by helicopter were trauma patients, while the majority (195, 62%) of fixed-wing transports were for illness-related conditions. Scene transports accounted for 120 (21%) of helicopter transports. Children with special health care needs accounted for 171 (20%) of all transports.
Conclusions:
Injury severity scores indicate that, overall, air-transported patients were more severely injured than comparable ground-transported patients. However, it is apparent that some patients who were air-transported could have been transported by ground ambulance without detriment. medical services.