Epidemiology and outcomes of trauma patients transported by helicopter emergency medical services: a descriptive-analytical study.

OBJECTIVE

he present study was designed and carried out to investigate the epidemiology and estimate the consequences of trauma in trauma victims transported by helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS).

METHODS

The present study was a descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional census study conducted on all trauma patients (n = 25) transported by helicopter to the emergency department of Ayatollah Taleghani Hospital in Kermanshah province in 2022. Data on demographics, trauma mechanism, injury anatomical site, and outcomes were extracted from the hospital's trauma registry. Trauma severity was evaluated using the Injury Severity Score (ISS) and Revised Trauma Score (RTS). Categorical associations were analyzed using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests in SPSS version 26, with significance set at P < 0.05.

RESULTS

A total of 25 trauma patients were examined (75% male, 25% female; 8% with underlying medical conditions). The mean (± SD) scene-to-hospital transfer time was 75.25 ± 22.52 min, and the mean length of stay was 15.5 ± 2.41 days. The most common trauma mechanisms were road traffic accidents (50%) and falls > 3 m (25%). Severe/very severe trauma was present in 25% of patients, and multiple injuries (polytrauma) accounted for 25% of transfers. The overall mortality rate was 8% (n = 2). Statistically significant associations were identified between female gender and higher trauma severity (P < 0.05), female gender and head/polytrauma anatomical sites (P < 0.05), and severe/very severe trauma and overall mortality (P < 0.05). No significant association was found between transfer time or dispatch type and outcome (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In this single-center observational study, the majority of HEMS-transported trauma patients were male, with road traffic accidents and falls (> 3 m) being the predominant mechanisms, and polytrauma the main presentation for air transfer. Due to the small sample size and descriptive nature of these findings, large-scale, multicenter prospective cohort studies are needed to evaluate the true impact of HEMS on clinical outcomes and to inform national pre-hospital protocol optimization.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.