Navigation Links
Interfacility helicopter ambulance transport of neurosurgical patients
Date:10/12/2011

Doctors may be sending too many patients by helicopter, an expensive choice that may not impact patient outcome

When a patient needs to travel between hospitals and time is of the essence, helicopter transport is generally assumed to be faster and more desirable than taking a ground ambulance, but a paper published today in the online journal PLoS ONE refutes this common assumption, revealing that the actual times to treatment for patients transported by helicopter may not justify the expense relative to ground ambulances.

The researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of all interfacility helicopter transfers of neurosurgical patients to a single trauma center in 2008 and determined the actual time to intervention at the receiving hospital.

They then compared these times to an estimated time required for ground transportation between the two facilities. They found that 60% of the 167 transferred patients included in the study were at institutions within an estimated driving time of less than an hour. For these patients, they argue, it is not clear that the helicopter transport was superior to a traditional ambulance.

The authors also point out that 63% of the transferred patients considered in the study did not need immediate intervention and could have been stabilized at the original hospital before transfer by ground ambulance.

Therefore, given that patient transport by helicopter can cost up to $25,000, while ground transport is estimated to cost much less (between $800 and $2,000), the authors conclude that doctors may want to reevaluate their assumptions about patient helicopter transport.

"In an area of rising healthcare costs and expenditure scrutiny, it is necessary to make evidence-based decisions to optimize patient care in an efficient way," says Dr. Brian Walcott of Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital, who led the research. "This study provides preliminar
'/>"/>

Contact: Yael Franco
yfranco@plos.org
415-568-3169
Public Library of Science
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related medicine news :

1. Monitoring wear in helicopters -- and hips, knees and ankles, too
2. Even with helicopter EMS, hospital transfer can delay treatment for heart attacks
3. Helicopter parents can impede child’s ability to play
4. Oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico claim 139 lives in helicopter crashes
5. Air Ambulance Company AirMed International Endorsed by Southern Medical Association
6. Summer Travelers Take Note, Air Ambulance Coverage Explained
7. Angel MedFlight Worldwide Air Ambulance offers $3,000 scholarship for a student pursuing a career in aviation at an Arizona school
8. Diversion of ambulances associated with increased risk of death for heart-attack patients
9. Heart Attack Victims Face Greater Risk of Dying When Ambulances Are Diverted
10. MIT's Center for Transportation & Logistics Announces new Environmental Performance Consortium at Annual Crossroads Conference
11. New Insurance Membership Program Protects Washington State Families Against High Cost of Emergency Medical Transports
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/25/2013)... 2013 Dr. Farooq Ashraf, founder of ... Dubai, has announced his practice’s adoption of The iFS ... FDA-cleared femtosecond laser proven with more than 10 years ... of LASIK. , “We are happy to announce that ... at our Dubai LASIK practice,” Ashraf said Thursday. “We ...
(Date:5/25/2013)... Acuity Games ’ innovative brain games have ... Word Hunt is available today, expanding it beyond its ... 2, Sudoku and Matchematics will roll out over the next ... lifetime brain fitness measurement have been re-optimized for the iPhone's ... brain fitness measurement in your pocket. What could be ...
(Date:5/25/2013)... Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 25, 2013 ... will grow at an average annual rate of 28.7% ... growth of 17.9% in 2013. From 2002 and 2008, no ... analyst Kevin Culbert, causing relatively modest growth during that period. ... (FDA) has approved six new products. This factor contributed to ...
(Date:5/25/2013)... May 25, 2013 For college ... finals week. Increasingly, they are turning to prescription ... and study. For more on this, go to ... treatment facility, warns that students who pick up ... at risk for developing a physical and psychological ...
(Date:5/25/2013)... Ayurveda is the traditional medicine of ... of life". While a medical science, its scope enters into ... Its fundamental philosophy is that disease is the end result ... that in order to re-establish optimal health, we must discover ... a life style which brings us back into harmony. , ...
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:Atlanta Vision Clinic Acquires the Latest in Blade-Free Lasik Technology Bringing Dubai Patients the Intralase Method 2Health News:Acuity Games Apps Come to the iPhone 2Health News:Slow Healing: Cell Therapy in the US Industry Market Research Report Now Available from IBISWorld 2Health News:Slow Healing: Cell Therapy in the US Industry Market Research Report Now Available from IBISWorld 3Health News:Addiction and Drug Abuse: Study Drug Adderall Abuse Spikes During Finals 2Health News:Ayurveda Education Programs Offered by the California College of Ayurveda Include Panchakarma Certification, Practitioner Courses, and Body Therapy Classes 2
... Schweitzer (Chair of the Democratic Governors Association) and Maryland ... applauded President Obama,s reported selection of former DGA Chair ... Services. "Our health care system is broken, and Governor ... effort to fix it," Governor Schweitzer said. "In reforming ...
... rare, orphan and neglected diseases, launches iWish, which allows people to ... diseases through and image. In addition, people are invited to explain ... solutions for a rare disease or for the community in general. ... ...
... research presented at the 2009 American Orthopaedic Society of ... elbow ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction prior to selection ... increase the risk of future injury or affect the ... no statistical difference between athletes who had undergone UCL ...
... Communication Service introduces vSling for capturing and distributing ... Smile Reminder will highlight their newest practice-to-patient ... Society Midwinter Meeting. Attracting thousands of dental practitioners ... platform for Smile Reminder to show its revenue ...
... experts urge better awareness of how machines work , , ... clearing the sidewalk quicker and easier, but those who ... with hand injuries and accidental amputations, say medical experts. ... not the type of injuries that can be reconstructed," ...
... 27 LCA-Vision Inc. (Nasdaq: LCAV ) ... independent research and proxy advisory firm, today recommended that ... of Directors and reject all of the proposals, including ... replacement Directors, in the Joffe Group,s consent solicitation. ...
Cached Medicine News:Health News:CheckOrphan Launches iWish to Commemorate Rare Disease Day 2Health News:CheckOrphan Launches iWish to Commemorate Rare Disease Day 3Health News:Elbow ligament reconstruction appears not to effect future professional advancement in baseball 2Health News:Smile Reminder Showcases Viral Marketing Tool at Chicago Dental Society's Midwinter Meeting 2Health News:Smile Reminder Showcases Viral Marketing Tool at Chicago Dental Society's Midwinter Meeting 3Health News:Snowblower Hand Injuries Often Extensive, Study Finds 2Health News:Glass Lewis Recommends Shareholders Support LCA-Vision Board of Directors and Reject All Three Proposals by Dissident Joffe Group 2Health News:Glass Lewis Recommends Shareholders Support LCA-Vision Board of Directors and Reject All Three Proposals by Dissident Joffe Group 3Health News:Glass Lewis Recommends Shareholders Support LCA-Vision Board of Directors and Reject All Three Proposals by Dissident Joffe Group 4
(Date:5/23/2013)... Inc. (Vanda) (NASDAQ: VNDA ) today announced that ... of the Year by the Tech Council of ... 25 th Annual Tech Awards Celebration held in ... the leaders and innovators in the technology and life science ... regions. "We are deeply honored to receive ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... , May 23, 2013 Nephros, Inc. ... stage medical device company that develops and sells high ... of its rights offering.  In addition, the concurrent temporary ... warrants expired on May 17, 2013. Nephros ... million from the rights offering.   A portion of the ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... May 23, 2013  Hadasit Bio-Holdings Ltd. (TASE: HDST, ... companies, based on intellectual property developed and owned ... ,s foremost medical research center, today announced that ... significant funding from the Israeli Ministry of Industry ... to support product development and advance clinical trials. ...
Breaking Medicine Technology:Vanda Pharmaceuticals Named the 2013 Life Science Firm of the Year by the Tech Council of Maryland 2Nephros Announces Completion of Rights Offering 2Nephros Announces Completion of Rights Offering 3Nephros Announces Completion of Rights Offering 4Hadasit Bio-Holdings Ltd. Portfolio Company - Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd. Received Additional Government Support 2
... EDISON, N.J., July 15, 2011 Crestor ... designed to lower "bad cholesterol". Both drugs are classified ... inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase. This group of drugs has had ... to Crestor and Zocor, touted as a "super statin" ...
... N.J., July 15, 2011 Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ... assets of its Ortho Dermatologics division in the ... for approximately $345 million in cash. The divestiture ... MICRO®, ERTACZO® and RENOVA®) sold in the U.S. ...
Cached Medicine Technology:Crestor and Zocor Drugs Linked to Muscle Degeneration, Rhabdomyolysis 2Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces Definitive Agreement to Divest Ortho Dermatologics Division 2
This is long known for its purity and mildness, Castile Soap is also an effective cleaning agent that is used in a variety of applications. It rinses clean while leaving the skin soft and healthy....
Upon application to intact skin, Skin-Prep* protective wipes forms a protective film that prepares the skin for the attachment of drainage tubes, external catheters, adhesive dressings and can be...
Triad Plus Sterile Isopropyl Alcohol 70% USP Prep Pads are medium size. Each package is terminally sterilized, ensuring the safest possible product....
Aplicare's Prep Pads offer convenience, low cost, ease of use. The medium size is appropriate for most applications. Each package is terminally sterilized, ensuring the safest possible product for th...
Medicine Products: