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Effective use of the air ambulance for pediatric trauma

Jeremy T Larson1, Ann M Dietrich, Shahab F Abdessalam

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine and Public Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, 43205, USA. larsonj@pediatrics.ohio-state.edu

The Journal of Trauma
|January 30, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Hospital stabilization before air transport improved survival and reduced intensive care unit (ICU) stays for pediatric major trauma patients compared to direct scene transport. Minor trauma patients showed no significant differences.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Trauma Care
  • Emergency Medical Services
  • Air Ambulance Transport

Background:

  • Pediatric trauma patients are transported by air ambulance either directly from the scene or after initial hospital stabilization.
  • Comparing outcomes between these two transport methods is crucial for optimizing patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare mortality and length of stay for pediatric trauma patients transported directly from the injury scene (IS) versus those transferred after hospital stabilization (HS).
  • To analyze outcomes based on trauma severity (minor vs. major).

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of pediatric air ambulance patients (<19 years) admitted to a trauma center.
  • Outcomes assessed: mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, and hospital length of stay.
  • Patients categorized by Injury Severity Score (ISS): minor (ISS < 15) and major (ISS > 15).
  • TRISS analysis used to evaluate care quality.

Main Results:

  • Overall mortality was lower in the hospital stabilization (HS) group (5.5%) compared to the injury scene (IS) group (8.7%).
  • Major trauma patients in the HS group had significantly lower mortality (15.5% vs. 26.7%) and shorter mean ICU stays (118.3 vs. 149.1 hours).
  • No significant differences in outcomes were observed for minor trauma patients between the groups.

Conclusions:

  • Direct scene transport of pediatric trauma patients by air does not demonstrate a clear benefit over hospital stabilization prior to air transfer.
  • Hospital stabilization before air ambulance transport may enhance survival and reduce ICU length of stay for pediatric patients with major trauma.
Abstract

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