A survey of advanced trauma life support procedures being performed by physicians and nurses used on hospital aeromedical evacuation services.

Traumatized patients may be transported by a variety of aeromedical transport teams. Frequently, the skills of physicians, nurses, and paramedical personnel overlap. This study was undertaken to determine if nurses used on hospital aeromedical evaluation services perform advanced trauma life support (ATLS) procedures usually reserved for physicians. Forty-seven hospital programs responded to our questionnaire. Flight nurses on programs (26) in which physicians were frequently used were significantly (p less than 0.05) less likely to perform cricothyreotomy, esophageal obturator airway placement, oral intubations, and pericardiocentesis than flight nurses of programs (21) not using flight physicians. Except for cervical tong placement (p less than 0.05), central line placement (p less than 0.05), and the performance of saphenous vein cutdown (p less than 0.05), no differences were found in procedures performed by flight nurses of programs not using physicians and those performed by flight physicians. We conclude that flight nurse abilities are expanding into areas traditionally set aside for physicians in providing advanced trauma life support procedures on hospital aeromedical services. Future studies need to be performed to determine their success and complication rates.