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Reduced emergency department stabilization time before cranial computed tomography in patients undergoing air medical transport
- Source :
- Air Medical Journal. 16:73-75
- Publication Year :
- 1997
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 1997.
-
Abstract
- Introduction: Advanced patient stabilization skills provided by air medical providers were hypothesized to result in streamlined emergency department (ED) stabilization of patients with head injuries requiring urgent cranial computed tomography (CCT). The goal of this study was to compare initial ED stabilization times between air- and ground-transported patients requiring urgent CCT and emergency neurosurgical hematoma evacuation. Setting: Academic Level I trauma center (annual ED census 60,000) receiving patients from ground EMS and a nurse/paramedic air medical transport team. Methods: This retrospective study identified, from a database of 15 months of ED visits, consecutive group of adults who had CCT performed within 60 minutes of ED arrival and underwent emergent craniotomy for intracranial hematoma. Demographics, hemodynamic status, patient acuity, and time intervals between ED and CCT suite arrivals were compared between air and ground patients using chi-square, Fisher's exact, and t -tests ( p = 0.05). Results: Eleven air- and 39 ground-transported patients were eligible. All patient acuity data were similar between groups. Air patients were more likely to be intubated (100% versus 71.8%, p = .04) and had shorter mean ED stabilization times (29 versus 40 minutes, p = .02) than ground patients. Conclusion: This study suggests that advanced patient stabilization offered by air medical transport may result in reduced ED stabilization time for patients requiring urgent craniotomy.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Adolescent
medicine.medical_treatment
Intracranial hematoma
Computed tomography
Emergency Nursing
Severity of Illness Index
medicine
Craniocerebral Trauma
Humans
Craniotomy
Aged
Retrospective Studies
Aged, 80 and over
Academic Medical Centers
Hematoma
medicine.diagnostic_test
business.industry
Head injury
Trauma center
Retrospective cohort study
Air Ambulances
Emergency department
Middle Aged
Patient Acuity
medicine.disease
United States
Surgery
Transportation of Patients
Time and Motion Studies
Emergency medicine
Emergency Medicine
Female
Emergency Service, Hospital
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 1067991X
- Volume :
- 16
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Air Medical Journal
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....3e853d7d325455f0898a660833f6533c