ArticleScandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine2020
Pre-hospital care & interfacility transport of 385 COVID-19 emergency patients: an air ambulance perspective.
Article in Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Inter-hospital ICU-to-ICU transfer of critically ill COVID-19 patients is not associated with increased mortality: a systematic review with exploratory meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2026Pooled it
- Factors affecting the preparedness of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) in disasters: a systematic review.BMC emergency medicine · 2023Pooled it
- High-speed trains versus air transport vectors for mass transfers of critically ill patients: The TRANSCOV cohort study.PloS one · 2026Article
- Biosafety Issues in Patient Transport during COVID-19: A Case Study on the Portuguese Emergency Services.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Clinician-patient communication about emergency aerial medical evacuation in case of infectious disease.Journal of travel medicine · 2023Article
- The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and well-being of ambulance care professionals: A rapid review.PloS one · 2023Review
- Safety during interhospital helicopter transfer of ventilated COVID-19 patients. No clinical relevant changes in vital signs including non-invasive cardiac output.Respiratory research · 2022Article
- Developments in adult critical care transfer in England: a positive legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic.Anaesthesia · 2022Article
- Healthcare Supply Chain Reliability: The Case of Medical Air Transport.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- A fuzzy hybrid decision-making framework for increasing the hospital disaster preparedness: The colombian case.International journal of disaster risk reduction : IJDRR · 2022Article
- Experience of the Polish Medical Air Rescue Service During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Measures Taken to Protect Patients, Medical Staff, and Air Crew from SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2022Article
- Lessons learned from the first 50 COVID-19 critical care transfer missions conducted by a civilian UK Helicopter Emergency Medical Service team.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2022Article
- Considerations for acute care staffing during a pandemic.Best practice & research. Clinical anaesthesiology · 2021Review
- Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Transport of COVID-19 Patients in the "First Wave": A National Survey.Cureus · 2021Article
- Helicopter transport of critical care COVID-19 patients in the Netherlands: protection against COVID-19 exposure-a challenge to critical care retrieval personnel in a novel operation.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2021Observational
- Research progress of pre-hospital emergency during 2000-2020: a bibliometric analysis.American journal of translational research · 2021Article
- Feasibility of Prehospital Emergency Anesthesia in the Cabin of an AW169 Helicopter Wearing Personal Protective Equipment During Coronavirus Disease 2019.Air medical journalArticle
- An Updated Review of Literature for Air Medical Evacuation High-Level Containment Transport During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.Air medical journalReview
- Repatriation of a Critically Ill Coronavirus Disease 2019-Positive Patient Across Closed Borders.Air medical journalArticle
- Analysis of European Air Medical Evacuation Flights of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients.Air medical journalArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCOVID-19, the pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, is challenging healthcare systems worldwide. Little is known about problems faced by emergency medical services-particularly helicopter services-caring for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients. We aimed to describe the issues faced by air ambulance services in Europe as they transport potential COVID-19 patients.
methodsNine different HEMS providers in seven different countries across Europe were invited to share their experiences and to report their data regarding the care, transport, and safety measures in suspected or confirmed COVID-19 missions. Six air ambulance providers in six countries agreed and reported their data regarding development of special procedures and safety instructions in preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic. Four providers agreed to provide mission related data. Three hundred eighty-five COVID-19-related missions were analysed, including 119 primary transport missions and 266 interfacility transport missions.
resultsAll providers had developed special procedures and safety instructions in preparation for COVID-19. Ground transport was the preferred mode of transport in primary missions, whereas air transport was preferred for interfacility transport. In some countries the transport of COVID-19 patients by regular air ambulance services was avoided. Patients in interfacility transport missions had a significantly higher median (range) NACA Score 4 (2-5) compared with 3 (1-7), needed significantly more medical interventions, were significantly younger (59.6 ± 16 vs 65 ± 21 years), and were significantly more often male (73% vs 60.5%).
conclusionsAll participating air ambulance providers were prepared for COVID-19. Safe care and transport of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients is achievable. Most patients on primary missions were transported by ground. These patients were less sick than interfacility transport patients, for whom air transport was the preferred method.
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