Observational studyScandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine2021
Helicopter emergency medical service for time critical interfacility transfers of patients with cardiovascular emergencies.
Observational study in Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Helicopter emergency medical services for interfacility transfers: an Italian expert consensus.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Assessment of clinical and logistical contribution in a Norwegian helicopter emergency medical service using integrated data: a retrospective observational study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Observational
- Identifying patients transported by helicopter emergency medical services using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11: a scoping review.BMC emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Pediatric trauma management in Switzerland: insights from a nationwide survey.Clinical and experimental emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Major medical events in patients with acute coronary syndrome during helicopter emergency medical service operations.BMC emergency medicine · 2025Observational
- Helicopter emergency medical services in Eastern Iran: a 4-year cross-sectional study of time intervals and mission profiles.BMC emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Effect of Medical Accessibility on Long-Term Survival in Liver Transplantation.Annals of transplantation · 2024Observational
- Helicopter Ambulance Transport to the Emergency Department: Demographic and Clinical Factors Impacting Outcomes in a Turkish Medical Center.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2023Article
- Pre-hospital endotracheal intubation in severe traumatic brain injury: ventilation targets and mortality-a retrospective analysis of 308 patients.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2023Article
- Hospital Incidence, Treatment, and Outcome of 885 Patients with Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms Treated in Switzerland over 10 Years-A Secondary Analysis of Swiss DRG Data.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- The forgotten cohort-lessons learned from prehospital trauma death: a retrospective cohort study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2023Article
- Factors influencing on-scene time in a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS): a retrospective observational study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2023Observational
- Prehospital Stroke Care Part 1: Emergency Medical Services and the Stroke Systems of Care.Stroke · 2023Review
- Helicopter inter-hospital transfer for patients undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a retrospective 12-year analysis of a service system.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2022Observational
- Airway management in a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS): a retrospective observational study of 365 out-of-hospital intubations.BMC emergency medicine · 2022Observational
- Severity-Driven Trends in Mortality in a Large Regionalized Critical Care Transport Service.Air medical journalArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe goal of improving quality through centralisation of specialised medical services must be balanced against potential harm caused by delayed access to emergency treatments in rural areas. This study aims to assess the duration of transfers of critically ill patients with cardiovascular emergencies from smaller hospitals to major medical centres by a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) in Switzerland.
methodsThis retrospective observational cohort study includes all consecutive emergency interfacility transfers (IFTs) conducted by Switzerland's largest HEMS provider between July 3rd, 2019, and March 31st, 2021. All patients with acute myocardial infarction, non-traumatic strokes, ruptured aortic aneurysms, and other acute vascular emergencies were included. The duration and distance of each HEMS IFT were compared to calculated distances and duration of travel for the same missions using ground-based transportation (GEMS). The ground-based mission distance beyond which the total mission duration of HEMS is expected to be faster than GEMS was calculated.
findingsA total of 645 patients were transferred for stroke (n = 364), myocardial infarction (n = 252) and other acute vascular emergencies (n = 29). The median total mission duration from emergency call to landing at the destination was 59.9 (IQR 51.5 to 70.5) minutes. The median road distance for the same missions was 60 (IQR 43 to 72) km. Regression analysis revealed that HEMS is expected to be faster if the road distance is more than 51.3 km.
interpretationCentralisation of specialised medical services should be accompanied by a comprehensive and specialised rescue chain. HEMS in Switzerland ensures time-sensitive IFT in medical emergencies, even in topographically challenging terrain.
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