Regional Health System Response to the 2007 Greensburg, Kansas, EF5 Tornado

2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Ablah ◽  
Annie M. Tinius ◽  
Kurt Konda ◽  
Carolyn Synovitz ◽  
Italo Subbarao
Keyword(s):  
Injury Severity Score ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Severity Score ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
System Response ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Included Patient ◽  
Injured Patients ◽  
Regional Hospitals

ABSTRACTBackground: On May 4, 2007 an EF5 tornado hit the rural community of Greensburg, KS, destroying 95% of the town and resulting in 12 fatalities.Methods: Data was requested from the emergency medical services units that initially responded and the regional hospitals that received people injured in the tornado within 24 hours following the tornado. Requested data included patient age and sex, and injury severity score or ICD-9 codes. Critical mortality, or the number of deaths of critically injured patients, was also calculated.Results: The extensive damage caused by the tornado effectively destroyed the infrastructure of the community and created enormous challenges for emergency medical services responders, who were unable to record any triage data. Area hospitals treated 90 patients, who had an average injury severity score of 6.4. Age was found to be related to injury severity, but no relationship between sex and injury severity was found. Critical mortality was found to be 18% for this event.Conclusions: Injury severity score has seldom been used to analyze natural disasters, especially tornadoes, although such analysis is helpful for understanding the magnitude of the disaster, comparing to other disasters, and preparing for future incidents. Advanced warning and personal preparedness are important factors in reducing tornado-related injuries and deaths. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2007;1:90–95)

Differences in Mortality Rates Among Trauma Patients Transported by Helicopter and Ambulance in Maryland

1999 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 52-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter A. Kerr ◽  
Timothy J. Kerns ◽  
Richard A. Bissell
Keyword(s):  
Injury Severity Score ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Severity Score ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
University Of Maryland ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
State Police ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The University

AbstractIntroduction:A comprehensive state wide emergency medical services and helicopter transport system has been developed in the State of Maryland on the principle that early definitive care improves patient out comes. The purpose of this study was to determine if empirical data exist to support the theory that air medical transportation services provided by the Maryland State Police (Maryland State Police) Aviation Division contribute to an improved trauma patient survival rate in Maryland.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on the records of all patients transported by helicopter or ground ambulance and admitted to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center (R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center of the University of Maryland Medical System) of the University of Maryland Medical System. Data were obtained from the Maryland Institute of Emergency Medical Services Systems (Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems) Shock Trauma Clinical Registry for the period January 1988 through July 1995, covering 23,002 patients. Patients included those transported directly from the scene of injury to the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems as well as those from interfacility transfers. All patients were stratified by injury severity and compared by outcome (mortality) using Mantel-Haenszel statistics.Results:During the study period, 11,379 patients were transported by ground and 11,623 were transported by Maryland State Police helicopter. The mean Injury Severity Score (Maryland State Police) for patients transported by ground was 12.7 (standard deviation = 12.52) and the mean Injury Severity Score for patients transported by air was 14.6 (Injury Severity Score = 13.42), p <0.001. Among patients classified as having a high index of injury severity, the mortality rate was lower among those transported by Maryland State Police helicopter than among those transported by ambulance. The mortality rate was significantly lower for air transported patient with an Injury Severity Score higher than 31.Conclusion:The State of Maryland has demonstrated a commitment to its citizenry and invested heavily in its public safety air medical service. This study suggests the rapid air transport of victims of traumatic events by specialized personnel in Maryland has a positive effect on the outcome of severely injured patients. Further research is necessary to clarify the causal relationships in order to more fully elucidate the value of this resource.

Evaluating the effect of driving distance to the nearest higher level trauma centre on undertriage: a cohort study

2021 ◽  
pp. emermed-2021-211635
Author(s):  
Job F Waalwijk ◽  
Robin D Lokerman ◽  
Rogier van der Sluijs ◽  
Audrey A A Fiddelers ◽  
Luke P H Leenen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Injury Severity Score ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Severity Score ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Trauma Centre ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Trauma Patients ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Critical Resource

BackgroundIt is of great importance that emergency medical services professionals transport trauma patients in need of specialised care to higher level trauma centres to achieve optimal patient outcomes. Possibly, undertriage is more likely to occur in patients with a longer distance to the nearest higher level trauma centre. This study aims to determine the association between driving distance and undertriage.MethodThis prospective cohort study was conducted from January 2015 to December 2017. All trauma patients in need of specialised care that were transported to a trauma centre by emergency medical services professionals from eight ambulance regions in the Netherlands were included. Patients with critical resource use or an Injury Severity Score ≥16 were defined as in need of specialised care. Driving distance was calculated between the scene of injury and the nearest higher level trauma centre. Undertriage was defined as transporting a patient in need of specialised care to a lower level trauma centre. Generalised linear models adjusting for confounders were constructed to determine the association between driving distance to the nearest higher level trauma centre per 1 and 10 km and undertriage. A sensitivity analysis was conducted with a generalised linear model including inverse probability weights.Results6101 patients, of which 4404 patients with critical resource use and 3760 patients with an Injury Severity Score ≥16, were included. The adjusted generalised linear model demonstrated a significant association between a 1 km (OR 1.04; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.05) and 10 kilometre (OR 1.50; 95% CI 1.42 to 1.58) increase in driving distance and undertriage in patients with critical resource use. Also in patients with an Injury Severity Score ≥16, a significant association between driving distance (1 km (OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.07), 10 km (OR 1.83; 95% CI 1.71 to 1.95)) and undertriage was observed.ConclusionPatients in need of specialised care are less likely to be transported to the appropriate trauma centre with increasing driving distance. Our results suggest that emergency medical services professionals incorporate driving distance into their decision making regarding transport destinations, although distance is not included in the triage protocol.

When Minutes Fly by: What is the True “Golden Hour” for Air Care?

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 862-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marquinn Duke ◽  
Danielle Tatum ◽  
Kevin Sexton ◽  
Lance Stuke ◽  
Ronald Robertson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Inflection Point ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Inhospital Mortality ◽  
Helicopter Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Golden Hour ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Injured Patients ◽  
Prehospital Time

Air transport was developed to hasten patient transport based on the “golden hour” belief that delayed care leads to poorer outcome. The primary aim of our study was to identify the critical inflection point of increased nonsurvivors on total prehospital time. This was a multicenter review of adult trauma patients transported by air between November 2014 and August 2015. Primary outcome of interest was all-cause inhospital mortality. Total helicopter emergency medical services times of nonsurvivors were plotted to visualize the distribution of prehospital time. Of 636 patients included, 71 per cent were male and 86 per cent suffered blunt trauma. Among non-survivors, mortality doubled once total helicopter emergency medical services time exceeded 30 minutes (P < 0.001). Nonsurvivors presented with significantly lower median [interquartile range (IQR)] Glasgow Coma Score compared with survivors [3 (3–13) vs 15 (12–15), respectively; P < 0.001] as well as a significantly higher median (IQR) Injury Severity Score [26 (19–41) vs 12 (5–22); P < 0.001], increased incidence of penetrating mechanism of injury [21 vs 8%; P = 0.002], and higher median (IQR) shock index [0.84 (0.63–1.06) vs 0.71 (0.6–0.87); P = 0.023]. We identified an inflection point of doubling in mortality after 30 minutes. This suggests a possible threshold effect between time and mortality in severely injured patients. Revised field criteria for determining which injured patients would most benefit from helicopter transport are needed.

A Descriptive Analysis of Traction Splint Utilization and IV Analgesia by Emergency Medical Services

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 631-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Nackenson ◽  
Amado A. Baez ◽  
Jonathan P. Meizoso
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Blunt Trauma ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Femur Fracture ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Penetrating Trauma ◽  
Physical Exam ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Prehospital Treatment ◽  
Emergency Medical

AbstractStudy ObjectivesTraction splinting has been the prehospital treatment of midshaft femur fracture as early as the battlefield of the First World War (1914-1918). This study is the assessment of these injuries and the utilization of a traction splint (TS) in blunt and penetrating trauma, as well as intravenous (IV) analgesia utilization by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Miami, Florida (USA).MethodsThis is a retrospective study of patients who sustained a midshaft femur fracture in the absence of multiple other severe injuries or severe physiologic derangement, as defined by an injury severity score (ISS) <20 and a triage revised trauma score (T-RTS)≥10, who presented to an urban, Level 1 trauma center between September 2008 and September 2013. The EMS patient care reports were assessed for physical exam findings and treatment modality. Data were analyzed descriptively and statistical differences were assessed using odds ratios and Z-score with significance set at P≤.05.ResultsThere were 170 patients studied in the cohort. The most common physical exam finding was a deformity +/- shortening and rotation in 136 patients (80.0%), followed by gunshot wound (GSW) in 22 patients (13.0%), pain or tenderness in four patients (2.4%), and no findings consistent with femur fracture in three patients (1.7%). The population was dichotomized between trauma type: blunt versus penetrating. Of 134 blunt trauma patients, 50 (37.0%) were immobilized in traction, and of the 36 penetrating trauma victims, one (2.7%) was immobilized in traction. Statistically significant differences were found in the application of a TS in blunt trauma when compared to penetrating trauma (OR=20.83; 95% CI, 2.77-156.8; P <.001). Intravenous analgesia was administered to treat pain in only 35 (22.0%) of the patients who had obtainable IV access. Of these patients, victims of blunt trauma were more likely to receive IV analgesia (OR=6.23; 95% CI, 1.42-27.41; P=.0067).ConclusionAlthough signs of femur fracture are recognized in the majority of cases of midshaft femur fracture, only 30% of patients were immobilized using a TS. Statistically significant differences were found in the utilization of a TS and IV analgesia administration in the setting of blunt trauma when compared to penetrating trauma.NackensonJ, BaezAA, MeizosoJP. A descriptive analysis of traction splint utilization and IV analgesia by Emergency Medical Services.Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(6):631–635.

scholarly journals Comparing the Air Medical Prehospital Triage Score With Current Practice for Triage of Injured Patients to Helicopter Emergency Medical Services

JAMA Surgery ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 153 (3) ◽  
pp. 261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua B. Brown ◽  
Kenneth J. Smith ◽  
Mark L. Gestring ◽  
Matthew R. Rosengart ◽  
Timothy R. Billiar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Current Practice ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Helicopter Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Prehospital Triage ◽  
Injured Patients

Beneficial effect of helicopter emergency medical services on survival of severely injured patients

2004 ◽  
Vol 91 (11) ◽  
pp. 1520-1526 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. P. G. Frankema ◽  
A. N. Ringburg ◽  
E. W. Steyerberg ◽  
M. J. R. Edwards ◽  
I. B. Schipper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Beneficial Effect ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Severely Injured ◽  
Severely Injured Patients ◽  
Helicopter Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Injured Patients

scholarly journals Dispatch accuracy of physician-staffed emergency medical services in trauma care in south-east Norway: a retrospective observational study

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Samdal ◽  
Kjetil Thorsen ◽  
Ola Græsli ◽  
Mårten Sandberg ◽  
Marius Rehn
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Trauma Care ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Data Systems ◽  
Hospital Data ◽  
Accurate Identification ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Patient Pathways

Abstract Background Selection of incidents and accurate identification of patients that require assistance from physician-staffed emergency medical services (P-EMS) remain essential. We aimed to evaluate P-EMS availability, the underlying criteria for dispatch, and the corresponding dispatch accuracy of trauma care in south-east Norway in 2015, to identify areas for improvement. Methods Pre-hospital data from emergency medical coordination centres and P-EMS medical databases were linked with data from the Norwegian Trauma Registry (NTR). Based on a set of conditions (injury severity, interventions performed, level of consciousness, incident category), trauma incidents were defined as complex, warranting P-EMS assistance, or non-complex. Incident complexity and P-EMS involvement were the main determinants when assessing the triage accuracy. Undertriage was adjusted for P-EMS availability and response and transport times. Results Among 19,028 trauma incidents, P-EMS were involved in 2506 (13.2%). The range of overtriage was 74–80% and the range of undertriage was 20–32%. P-EMS readiness in the event of complex incidents ranged from 58 to 70%. The most frequent dispatch criterion was “Police/fire brigade request immediate response” recorded in 4321 (22.7%) of the incidents. Criteria from the groups “Accidents” and “Road traffic accidents” were recorded in 10,875 (57.2%) incidents, and criteria from the groups “Transport reservations” and “Unidentified problem” in 6025 (31,7%) incidents. Among 4916 patient pathways in the NTR, 681 (13.9%) could not be matched with pre-hospital data records. Conclusions Both P-EMS availability and dispatch accuracy remain suboptimal in trauma care in south-east Norway. Dispatch criteria are too vague to facilitate accurate P-EMS dispatch, and pre-hospital data is inconsistent and insufficient to provide basic data for scientific research. Future dispatch criteria should focus on the care aspect of P-EMS. Better tools for both dispatch and incident handling for the emergency medical coordination centres are essential. In general, coordination, standardisation, and integration of existing data systems should enhance the quality of trauma care and increase patient safety.

scholarly journals Epidemiological Characteristics of Traffic and Non-traffic Injuries and Quality of Emergency Medical Services in Southern Thailand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patcharee Prommoon ◽  
Thanom Phibalsak ◽  
Janya Netwachirakul ◽  
Mayuree Mekthat ◽  
Walailuk Jitpiboon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Southern Thailand ◽  
Injured Patients ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics

Objective: This study aimed to report the situation of injuries and emergency medical services in southern Thailand.Material and Methods: Data from the Injury Surveillance system of a Level 1 Trauma Center Hospital in lower southern Thailand during 2012-2016 were extracted. Trends in epidemiological characteristics of both traffic and non-traffic injuries and emergency medical services were described. Logistic regression was used for the analysis.Results: The number of patients admitted to emergency departments due to traffic and non-traffic injuries was stable over the five-year period (n=102, 840). Traffic injuries involving motorcycles and falls were the two leading causes of injury. Most were adults aged 19-60 years (62.5%). The most common risky behaviors were driving a motor vehicle without wearing a seatbelt (81.9%) and riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet (71.7%). Alcohol and drug use were relatively low but significantly increased the odds of sustaining a severe/critical injury. Significant predictors of severe/ critical non-traffic injury included drowning [odds ratio (OR)=29.7, 95% confidence interval (CI)=11.9-74.7], self-harm/ suicide (OR=12.6, 95% CI=9.2-17.3), and bites/stings from poisonous animals (OR=8.1, 95% CI=6.1-10.8). The use of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was low but increased over time. The main challenge was delivering appropriate EMS for different levels of injury. The percentage of health care staff who performed advanced life support appropriately for critically injured patients ranged from 95.5% to 100.0% while for severely injured patients, ranged from 93.9% to 100.0%.Conclusion: Traffic and non-traffic injuries were high and the use of EMS was still low in southern Thailand.

Gunshot Injuries in Children Served by Emergency Services

2017 ◽  
pp. 127-137
Author(s):  
Craig D. Newgard ◽  
Nathan Kuppermann ◽  
James F. Holmes ◽  
Jason S. Haukoos ◽  
Brian Wetzel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Major Surgery ◽  
Gunshot Injuries ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Injury Mechanisms

OBJECTIVE To describe the incidence, injury severity, resource use, mortality, and costs for children with gunshot injuries, compared with other injury mechanisms. METHODS This was a population-based, retrospective cohort study (January 1, 2006–December 31, 2008) including all injured children age ≤19 years with a 9-1-1 response from 47 emergency medical services agencies transporting to 93 hospitals in 5 regions of the western United States. Outcomes included population-adjusted incidence, injury severity score ≥16, major surgery, blood transfusion, mortality, and average per-patient acute care costs. RESULTS A total of 49 983 injured children had a 9-1-1 emergency medical services response, including 505 (1.0%) with gunshot injuries (83.2% age 15–19 years, 84.5% male). The population-adjusted annual incidence of gunshot injuries was 7.5 cases/100 000 children, which varied 16-fold between regions. Compared with children who had other mechanisms of injury, those injured by gunshot had the highest proportion of serious injuries (23%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 17.6–28.4), major surgery (32%, 95% CI 26.1–38.5), in-hospital mortality (8.0%, 95% CI 4.7–11.4), and costs ($28 510 per patient, 95% CI 22 193–34 827). CONCLUSIONS Despite being less common than other injury mechanisms, gunshot injuries cause a disproportionate burden of adverse outcomes in children, particularly among older adolescent males. Public health, injury prevention, and health policy solutions are needed to reduce gunshot injuries in children.

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