Aeromedical evacuation of rural victims of nontraumatic cardiac arrest.

STUDY OBJECTIVES

To determine if the deployment of a helicopter-borne nurse/paramedic team contributed to survival of victims of nontraumatic cardiac arrest in a rural setting.

DESIGN

Retrospective chart review.

SETTING

A university hospital-based helicopter aeromedical program serving a primarily rural region with a volunteer basic life support/advanced life support ground emergency medical services system.

PARTICIPANTS

Victims of nontraumatic cardiac arrest, older than 15 years, in cardiac arrest at the time of request for air evacuation.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Eighty-four patients were identified who met the study inclusion criteria between January 1, 1986, and December 31, 1989. Basic life support care was always available before aeromedical crew arrival; advanced life support care was available in 58% of cases before helicopter arrival. Resuscitative efforts were terminated in the field in 55 cases; of 29 patients transported to the emergency department, only ten (12%) survived to hospital admission. Only one patient (1%) survived to hospital discharge; this patient was resuscitated by ground advanced life support providers before helicopter arrival.

CONCLUSION

Despite providing improved availability of advanced life support care in some cases, deployment of aeromedical teams had a negligible effect on patient survival from nontraumatic cardiac arrest in a rural setting.