Bhutan Emergency Aeromedical Retrieval Team, Emergency Department, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, Thimphu, Bhutan.
Bhutan Emergency Aeromedical Retrieval Team, Emergency Department, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, Thimphu, Bhutan.
Air Med J. 2020 Mar-Apr;39(2):116-119. doi: 10.1016/j.amj.2019.11.001. Epub 2019 Dec 9.
The Bhutan Emergency Aeromedical Retrieval (BEAR) Team is the only helicopter emergency medical service in Bhutan. This study was performed to review the clinical cases cared for by the BEAR Team, ascertain the types of interventions that were performed, and determine the outcomes of patients evacuated in its first year of operations.
This is a retrospective observational study in which medical evacuations performed in the first year of operations were analyzed. The number of airlifts activated during the study period determined the sample size (171). Data were obtained from case logs and trip sheets.
The BEAR Team provided services to all regions of the country in its first year. The overall survival rate was 73.1%. The most common intervention required was securing a definitive airway (n = 24). The top 3 conditions requiring air medical retrieval were sepsis, acute mountain sickness, and trauma.
Helicopter emergency medical services are known to decrease the time to definitive treatment. This is particularly pertinent in Bhutan, given the scattered population distribution, long transport times, and distribution of medical resources and specialty care. This study is the first of its kind in Bhutan, and this can pave way to conduct more studies involving patients transported by air ambulance.
不丹紧急航空医疗后送（BEAR）团队是不丹唯一的直升机紧急医疗服务。本研究旨在回顾 BEAR 团队救治的临床病例，确定实施的干预类型，并确定其运营第一年转送出的患者的结局。
这是一项回顾性观察性研究，分析了运营第一年的医疗后送情况。研究期间激活的空运次数决定了样本量（171）。数据来自病例记录和行程表。
BEAR 团队在其成立的第一年为全国所有地区提供了服务。总体存活率为 73.1%。最常见需要的干预措施是确保明确的气道（n=24）。需要航空医疗后送的前 3 种情况是脓毒症、急性高原病和创伤。
众所周知，直升机紧急医疗服务可缩短获得确定性治疗的时间。鉴于不丹人口分布分散、运输时间长以及医疗资源和专科护理的分布情况，这一点尤其重要。本研究是不丹首例此类研究，这可为开展更多涉及空运患者的研究铺平道路。
