Effect of aeromedical aircraft on care of trauma patients: evaluation using the Revised Trauma Score

Rotor wing aircraft used in transport of the trauma victim have not been subject to objective means of evaluating their contribution to patient care. A retrospective evaluation of a Bell 206 L-1 and an Aerospatiale 365 N-1 using the Revised Trauma Score Triage (RTS) as an indicator of status in 98 patients transported from the scene of injury was conducted. Ground (GT), flight (FT), and total mission (TMT) times, as well as initial RTS, final RTS, and the difference between them (DRTS) were determined for all patients. Statistical analysis was done using two-way ANOVA. GT, FT, and TMT were significantly lower in patients transported by the 365 N-1. In more severely injured patients (RTS < or = 10), DRTS and final RTS were significantly higher in the 365 N-1; FT was significantly less. The contributions of various aeromedical aircraft to the care of the trauma victim may be assessed using objective indices of patient status.