Characteristics of patients who received helicopter emergency medical services in Japan from 2012 to 2019: a retrospective analysis of data from Tochigi Prefecture

Abstract

Background Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) has been in operation in Japan since 2001, allowing patients almost anywhere in the nation to receive on-scene emergency treatment from physicians. However, there is insufficient literature on the characteristics of the patients who use Japanese HEMS. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the overall characteristics of patients receiving HEMS care within a single prefecture in Japan. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of 5163 patients—in Tochigi Prefecture—who received HEMS care from 2012 to 2019. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the following aspects of care: diagnosis, severity, background characteristics, geographical and environmental variables, immediate pre-hospital intervention, transportation type, and short-term clinical outcomes. Results Among 7370 HEMS requests received during the study period, treatment was provided to 5163 patients (1.8 cases per day; 3489 men [67.6%]). Nearly 55% (n = 2856) of patients were aged above 60 years. Age peaks were observed at 0–9 years and 60–69 years. The median distance from the base hospital to the site was 26.7 km. The age-standardized rate of HEMS treatment was 30.3 patients per 100,000 people. Cases of trauma and cardiovascular diseases were the most common (65.3%). Most individuals aged 0–9 years and 60–69 years had neurological disease (seizures accounted for 80.5% of this group) and cardiovascular disease, respectively. The number of patients was similar across all four seasons. After immediate pre-hospital intervention, 81.6% of patients receiving HEMS care were transferred by the helicopter ambulance (53.4% and 28.2% to the base hospital and to other hospitals, respectively). Overall, 56.6% of patients receiving HEMS care were transferred to the base hospital, and the short-term recovery rate was above 75%. Intravenous drip and oxygen administration were the most common pre-hospital interventions (93.1% and 72.7%, respectively). Conclusions This study is the first to describe the overall characteristics of HEMS patients using comprehensive data of all HEMS patients in one prefecture in Japan. Further research using both local- and national-level data is needed to accelerate the understanding of the benefits of HEMS.

Helicopter Ambulance Transport to the Emergency Department: Demographic and Clinical Factors Impacting Outcomes in a Turkish Medical Center

“…In previous studies, trauma patients were reported to be the second most frequently transferred group by AA, with traffic accidents being the most common cause, which is consistent with the results of the current study [ 21 , 22 ]. Rapid transfer of trauma patients by HA to trauma centers has been associated with a decrease in mortality [ 4 , 10 , 23 , 24 ].…”

“…The most common intervention applied to the transferred patients in the current study was the administration of supplemental oxygen, which is consistent with the literature [ 21 ]. The fact that approximately half of the patients received oxygen raises concerns about the severity of the transferred patients’ conditions.…”

“…Patients with internal diseases and injuries were the most common group requiring transfer by HAs, which is consistent with previous studies [ 8 , 18 ]. Cardiac diseases and neurological diseases are the conditions that benefit most from time-sensitive and HAs transportation [ 1 , 3 , 10 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 21 ]. In the current study, among patients with internal diseases, patients with cardiac and neurological diseases were most frequently transferred by HA, accounting for more than 50% of the transferred patients.…”

Influence of Prehospital Emergency Care on Rescue Success Rate and Complication Rate of Senile Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

“…Therefore, this study focuses on senile AMI patients and mainly analyzes the rescue success rate and complications, hoping to contribute to improving the management of senile AMI. [16]. A previous clinical analysis shows that quite a number of AMI patients died before they arrived at the hospital [17].…”

“…PHEC can provide emergency medical care for endogenous emergencies such as AMI and exogenous emergencies like burns and poisoning [ 16 ]. A previous clinical analysis shows that quite a number of AMI patients died before they arrived at the hospital [ 17 ].…”