Hot Air Balloon: An Unusual Cause of Multicasualty Trauma Incident

Hot air balloon incidents are few and far between compared with the total number of flights. Nevertheless, hot air balloon incidents may produce severe trauma involving several patients and are linked to significant mortality. The prehospital management of injured patients starts after having secured potential surrounding dangers, such as fire or explosion. In the context of a rescue by helicopter, close attention must be paid to potential obstacles, like trees or electrical wires, and the risk of aspiration of the balloon envelope into the rotor. Patients involved in such incidents are often split up in a closed perimeter around the crash point. The severity of the trauma depends essentially on the height of the fall. The most frequent traumatic lesions involve fractures of the lower limbs, the spine, and the pelvis as well as severe burns caused by the balloon fire. Because of the number of patients present, an initial triage is usually required at the site. The use of rescue helicopters can be helpful. They can perform aerial reconnaissance, provide on-site high-level resources, enable access to the patients even in hostile environments, and quickly transport them to trauma center hospitals.