Analysis of the Patients Transported by a Helicopter Ambulance in Turkey
Sukru Yorulmaz1, Burak Bekgoz21Department of Emergency Medicine, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, 2Department of Emergency Medicine, Ankara City Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
Objectives: The aim of this study is to define the characteristics of HEMS use in Turkey. Methods: All EMS cases in Turkey are recorded in a database called the ASOS. In our study, vital signs and diagnoses of the patients and information about the provinces and hospitals transferred were obtained from this database. We also evaluated the demographic characteristics of the patients, their triage codes, whether they were transferred to a hospital, and on which days the cases occurred. Results: A total of 4,248 HEMS assignments were included in the study. The mean age of the patients in the study was 51.2±26.5 years. Of all cases, 61.9% (2628) were men. The mean Glasgow Coma Score of the patients was 13.5±3.4, systolic blood pressure of these patients was 119.8±30.9 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure was 72.3±18.0 mmHg. The mean fever was 36.4±0.5 C° for all patients. Of the patients, 92.7% had a regular pulse. Cardiovascular system diseases (39.5%), trauma and poisonings (15.4%), and nervous system diseases (12.9%) were the top 3 reasons for ambulance assignments. HEMS cases were most frequent in Çanakkale region (12.1%). The mean flight time in patient transports was 35.5±23.3 minutes. The mean operation time of the transports was 150.6±279.3 minutes. Conclusion: In Turkey, HEMS are used quite frequently for transport between hospitals. The most common causes of transport were cardiovascular system diseases, trauma-related injuries, and nervous system diseases. Keywords: Air ambulance, transportation of patients, Turkey
Cite This Article
Yorulmaz S, Bekgoz B. Analysis of the Patients Transported by a Helicopter Ambulance in Turkey. EJMI. 2022; 6(1): 64-69
Corresponding Author: Sukru Yorulmaz