Aeromedical evacuation of rural victims of nontraumatic cardiac arrest
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G H Lindbeck1, D S Groopman, R D Powers
1Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville.
Study Objectives:
To determine if the deployment of a helicopter-borne nurse/paramedic team contributed to survival of victims of nontraumatic cardiac arrest in a rural setting.
Design:
Retrospective chart review.
Setting:
A university hospital-based helicopter aeromedical program serving a primarily rural region with a volunteer basic life support/advanced life support ground emergency medical services system.
Participants:
Victims of nontraumatic cardiac arrest, older than 15 years, in cardiac arrest at the time of request for air evacuation.
Measurements And Main Results:
Eighty-four patients were identified who met the study inclusion criteria between January 1, 1986, and December 31, 1989. Basic life support care was always available before aeromedical crew arrival; advanced life support care was available in 58% of cases before helicopter arrival. Resuscitative efforts were terminated in the field in 55 cases; of 29 patients transported to the emergency department, only ten (12%) survived to hospital admission. Only one patient (1%) survived to hospital discharge; this patient was resuscitated by ground advanced life support providers before helicopter arrival.
Conclusion:
Despite providing improved availability of advanced life support care in some cases, deployment of aeromedical teams had a negligible effect on patient survival from nontraumatic cardiac arrest in a rural setting.