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. 2024 Oct;79(10):633-638.

[Optimizing prehospital intervention times for extrahospital emergencies : experience of a Belgian air emergency service]

[Article in French]
Sabrina Chevalier  1 , Didier Moens  2   3 , Olivier Pirotte  3 , Alexandre Ghuysen  1   2 , Samuel Stipulante  1   2   3
Affiliations
  • PMID: 39397550
Free article

[Optimizing prehospital intervention times for extrahospital emergencies : experience of a Belgian air emergency service]

[Article in French]
Sabrina Chevalier et al. Rev Med Liege. 2024 Oct.
Free article

Abstract
in English, French

Background: the efficacy of helicopter medical transport in terms of prehospital time savings, compared to ground transport, remains a topic of debate in the management of extrahospital emergencies. This study aims to assess the temporal impact of using the air emergency service in Belgian rural context.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the interventions of the Bra-sur-Lienne emergency medical helicopter service from 2015 to 2023. The study included five target conditions: acute myocardial infarction, traumatic brain injury, coma, cardiopulmonary arrest, and severe polytrauma. Prehospital intervention times, actual for helicopter and simulated for ground transport, were compared using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test.

Results: The study encompassed 255 myocardial infarction cases, 404 traumatic brain injuries, 129 comas, 297 cardiopulmonary arrests, and 680 severe polytraumas. The results demonstrate a significant prehospital time saving with helicopter transport (p < 0.0001), highlighting its effectiveness in reducing intervention delay.

Conclusion: Helicopter transport emerges as a preferred option to optimize prehospital intervention times in Belgian rural areas, particularly for critical pathologies over long distances. Its deployment should be considered an essential link in the chain of survival in extrahospital emergencies.

Contexte: l’efficacité du transport médicalisé par hélicoptère, comparativement au transport terrestre, demeure un sujet de débat dans la gestion des urgences extrahospitalières. Cette étude évalue l’impact temporel de l’urgence héliportée en Belgique rural. Méthodes : analyse rétrospective des interventions du service d’urgence par hélicoptère de Bra-sur-Lienne de 2015 à 2023. L’étude inclut cinq pathologies : l’infarctus aigu du myocarde, le traumatisme crânien, le coma, l’arrêt cardiorespiratoire et le polytraumatisme. Les temps d’intervention préhospitaliers, réels pour l’hélicoptère et simulés pour le transport terrestre, ont été comparés via le test des rangs de Wilcoxon. Résultats : l’étude a englobé 255 infarctus du myocarde, 404 traumatismes crâniens, 129 comas, 297 arrêts cardiorespiratoires et 680 polytraumatismes. Les résultats montrent un gain de temps préhospitalier significatif pour l’hélicoptère (p < 0,0001), soulignant son efficacité.

Conclusion: le transport par hélicoptère optimise les délais d’intervention préhospitaliers dans les zones rurales belges, particulièrement pour les pathologies critiques. Son déploiement est crucial dans la chaîne de survie extrahospitalière.

Keywords: Emergency Medical Services; Helicopter; Pre-hospital; Rural environment; Urgent pathologies.

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