Helicopter Transport Is Associated with Lower In-Hospital Mortality in Trauma Patients

Although helicopter transportation of trauma patients is costly, the expense might be justifiable if a significant benefit is proven. To assess the association between mode of transport and mortality, researchers reviewed trauma registry data for 10,184 patients who were transported to trauma centers in Oklahoma during a 4-year period.

In propensity score–adjusted multivariate analysis, the risk for death within 2 weeks was lower (hazard ratio, 0.67) in patients transported by helicopter than in those transported by ground emergency medical services (EMS). In subanalyses, this benefit was evident only in patients with abnormal vital signs who were not severely injured; for patients with normal vital signs in the field or with severe Revised …