Journal of Nippon Medical School: Vol.71 No.5 page.352

Journal of Nippon Medical School

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ArticleTitle Early Access to Patients with Life-threatening Cardiovascular Disease by an Air Ambulance Service

AuthorList Takahiro Imaizumi¹, Noritake Hata¹, Nobuaki Kobayashi¹, Shinya Yokoyama¹, Takuro Shinada¹, Kenichi Tokuyama¹, Masahiro Ishikawa¹, Kunito Shiiba¹, Hisashi Matsumoto², Kitoji Takuhiro² and Kunihiro Mashiko²

Affiliation ¹Division of Intensive Care Unit, Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Nippon Medical School
²Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Nippon Medical School

Language EN

Volume 71

Issue 5

Year 2004

Page 352-356

Received June 3, 2004

Accepted June 17, 2004

Keywords air ambulance, doctor helicopter, cardiovascular disease, emergency care, ground ambulance

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine whether use of an air ambulance service using a helicopter with a critical care physician and nurse on board (doctor helicopter service; DHS) could shorten the prehospital delay. We evaluated the initial treatment time and the transport time in 30 patients transported by DHS and 30 patients transported by ground ambulance service (GAS). The initial treatment time was significantly shorter in the DHS group (11.3+/-5.4 min) than in the GAS group (29.5+/-15.3 min). But the transport time in the DHS group (26.1+/-8.6 min) was not different from that in the GAS group. The difference in the initial treatment time was remarkable for patients transported from distant areas (12.7+/-5.6 min for DHS, and 42.1+/-13.8 min for GAS) and DHS shortened the initial treatment time by 30 min compared with GAS. The transport time was shorter for DHS (30.5+/-9.9 min) than for GAS (42.1+/-13.8 min) for patients transported from distant areas, but it was not significantly different for patients transported from nearby areas (22.3+/-5.0 min for DHS, and 18.4+/-2.4 min for GAS). In conclusion, DHS is important in the management of life-threatening cardiovascular diseases, and has a significant impact when GAS cannot transport a patient to the hospital within 20 min.

Correspondence to Noritake Hata, MD, The Intensive Care Unit, Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Nippon Medical School, 1715 Kamagari, Inba-mura, Inba-gun, Chiba 270-1694, Japan
hata-n@nms.ac.jp

ArticleTitle	Early Access to Patients with Life-threatening Cardiovascular Disease by an Air Ambulance Service
AuthorList	Takahiro Imaizumi¹, Noritake Hata¹, Nobuaki Kobayashi¹, Shinya Yokoyama¹, Takuro Shinada¹, Kenichi Tokuyama¹, Masahiro Ishikawa¹, Kunito Shiiba¹, Hisashi Matsumoto², Kitoji Takuhiro² and Kunihiro Mashiko²
Affiliation	¹Division of Intensive Care Unit, Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Nippon Medical School ²Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Nippon Medical School
Language	EN
Volume	71
Issue	5
Year	2004
Page	352-356
Received	June 3, 2004
Accepted	June 17, 2004
Keywords	air ambulance, doctor helicopter, cardiovascular disease, emergency care, ground ambulance
Abstract	The purpose of this study was to determine whether use of an air ambulance service using a helicopter with a critical care physician and nurse on board (doctor helicopter service; DHS) could shorten the prehospital delay. We evaluated the initial treatment time and the transport time in 30 patients transported by DHS and 30 patients transported by ground ambulance service (GAS). The initial treatment time was significantly shorter in the DHS group (11.3+/-5.4 min) than in the GAS group (29.5+/-15.3 min). But the transport time in the DHS group (26.1+/-8.6 min) was not different from that in the GAS group. The difference in the initial treatment time was remarkable for patients transported from distant areas (12.7+/-5.6 min for DHS, and 42.1+/-13.8 min for GAS) and DHS shortened the initial treatment time by 30 min compared with GAS. The transport time was shorter for DHS (30.5+/-9.9 min) than for GAS (42.1+/-13.8 min) for patients transported from distant areas, but it was not significantly different for patients transported from nearby areas (22.3+/-5.0 min for DHS, and 18.4+/-2.4 min for GAS). In conclusion, DHS is important in the management of life-threatening cardiovascular diseases, and has a significant impact when GAS cannot transport a patient to the hospital within 20 min.
Correspondence to	Noritake Hata, MD, The Intensive Care Unit, Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Nippon Medical School, 1715 Kamagari, Inba-mura, Inba-gun, Chiba 270-1694, Japan hata-n@nms.ac.jp