Characteristics and Demographics of Patients Requiring Emergent Air Medical

Background. As integrated health systems become more common, interfacility patient transfers will increase and air transport programs will be prioritized. Understanding characteristics of patients triaged to air medical transport will assist with resource allocation and needs assessment. The objecti...

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Main Authors: Anna Van Tuyl, Mark Quilon, Trevor Dudley, Olivia Grant, Neha Rao, Paul Barbara, David S. Kugler, Kaitlin C. McLoone-Cepin, Josh Greenstein, Barry Hahn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-01-01
Series:Emergency Medicine International
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/3044891
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author Anna Van Tuyl
Mark Quilon
Trevor Dudley
Olivia Grant
Neha Rao
Paul Barbara
David S. Kugler
Kaitlin C. McLoone-Cepin
Josh Greenstein
Barry Hahn
author_facet Anna Van Tuyl
Mark Quilon
Trevor Dudley
Olivia Grant
Neha Rao
Paul Barbara
David S. Kugler
Kaitlin C. McLoone-Cepin
Josh Greenstein
Barry Hahn
author_sort Anna Van Tuyl
collection DOAJ
description Background. As integrated health systems become more common, interfacility patient transfers will increase and air transport programs will be prioritized. Understanding characteristics of patients triaged to air medical transport will assist with resource allocation and needs assessment. The objective of this study was to investigate the demographics and clinical characteristics of patients that presented to the emergency department (ED) and subsequently required emergent air medical interfacility transport. Methods. This was a retrospective, multicenter study conducted at eight hospitals within Northwell Health, the largest academic health system in New York state. The study was conducted between December 1, 2014, and July 31, 2020, and included patients who presented to an ED and subsequently required emergent air medical interfacility transport. Results. Overall, the median age was 37 years (IQR 4–66), and 231 (54%) subjects were males. The majority of subjects (59%) had no reported comorbidities, arrived by ambulance (52%), and were emergency severity index triage 2 (48%). Frequent indications for transfer were nontraumatic neurologic (37%), pulmonary or respiratory (13%), trauma (12%), and cardiovascular (12%). Most patients were not ventilated before transport (71%). The median time to call for transport at the sending institution was 2:42 hours (IQR 1:14–6:54), and the median length of stay was 4:12 (IQR 2:31–8:48). Most patients were subsequently admitted (96%) at the receiving institution to an intensive care unit (72%). Conclusions. This study describes patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics who required emergent air medical transport. Helicopter transport is costly, and data from these patients may further help our understanding of who is transported by air and how important air transport is to the health system.
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spelling doaj-art-1d95594ce46e4b7ab4a1a45ab2fcc02a2025-02-03T01:32:42ZengWileyEmergency Medicine International2090-28592022-01-01202210.1155/2022/3044891Characteristics and Demographics of Patients Requiring Emergent Air MedicalAnna Van Tuyl0Mark Quilon1Trevor Dudley2Olivia Grant3Neha Rao4Paul Barbara5David S. Kugler6Kaitlin C. McLoone-Cepin7Josh Greenstein8Barry Hahn9Department of Emergency MedicineDepartment of Emergency MedicineDepartment of Emergency MedicineDepartment of Emergency MedicineDepartment of Emergency MedicineDepartment of Emergency MedicineDepartment of Emergency MedicineDepartment of Helicopter Emergency Medical ServicesDepartment of Emergency MedicineDepartment of Emergency MedicineBackground. As integrated health systems become more common, interfacility patient transfers will increase and air transport programs will be prioritized. Understanding characteristics of patients triaged to air medical transport will assist with resource allocation and needs assessment. The objective of this study was to investigate the demographics and clinical characteristics of patients that presented to the emergency department (ED) and subsequently required emergent air medical interfacility transport. Methods. This was a retrospective, multicenter study conducted at eight hospitals within Northwell Health, the largest academic health system in New York state. The study was conducted between December 1, 2014, and July 31, 2020, and included patients who presented to an ED and subsequently required emergent air medical interfacility transport. Results. Overall, the median age was 37 years (IQR 4–66), and 231 (54%) subjects were males. The majority of subjects (59%) had no reported comorbidities, arrived by ambulance (52%), and were emergency severity index triage 2 (48%). Frequent indications for transfer were nontraumatic neurologic (37%), pulmonary or respiratory (13%), trauma (12%), and cardiovascular (12%). Most patients were not ventilated before transport (71%). The median time to call for transport at the sending institution was 2:42 hours (IQR 1:14–6:54), and the median length of stay was 4:12 (IQR 2:31–8:48). Most patients were subsequently admitted (96%) at the receiving institution to an intensive care unit (72%). Conclusions. This study describes patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics who required emergent air medical transport. Helicopter transport is costly, and data from these patients may further help our understanding of who is transported by air and how important air transport is to the health system.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/3044891
spellingShingle Anna Van Tuyl
Mark Quilon
Trevor Dudley
Olivia Grant
Neha Rao
Paul Barbara
David S. Kugler
Kaitlin C. McLoone-Cepin
Josh Greenstein
Barry Hahn
Characteristics and Demographics of Patients Requiring Emergent Air Medical
Emergency Medicine International
title Characteristics and Demographics of Patients Requiring Emergent Air Medical
title_full Characteristics and Demographics of Patients Requiring Emergent Air Medical
title_fullStr Characteristics and Demographics of Patients Requiring Emergent Air Medical
title_full_unstemmed Characteristics and Demographics of Patients Requiring Emergent Air Medical
title_short Characteristics and Demographics of Patients Requiring Emergent Air Medical
title_sort characteristics and demographics of patients requiring emergent air medical
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/3044891
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