[Helicopter use in the Swiss air rescue service for children. Inland transport in 1992]

Abstract

In 1992, the Swiss helicopter rescue service (REGA) transported 515 injured and 141 sick children (total n = 656). More than 60% of the children were boys; the age group from 10 to 16 years dominated. Primary care was provided in 415 of the flights, whereas the remaining cases were interhospital transfers to institutions with pediatric intensive care units. The main reason for primary interventions was sports accidents, followed by medical disease and traffic accidents. The majority of the sick children (70%) were severely ill with life-threatening diseases according to National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) indices IV to VII. On the other hand, only 47% of the injured children had NACA indices of IV to VII. Most of these children had minor injuries suffered during sports activities; they were rescued mainly because of the site of the accident and not the severity of the injury. The remaining trauma victims had had traffic or home accidents and were usually severely injured. Head injuries were the most common reason for intervention due to accidents, and central nervous disorders and respiratory problems were the main reason for interventions in children suffering from serious illnesses. For primary REGA rescue interventions, the mean time from accident to arrival at the hospital was 64 minutes: 18 minutes from injury to alarm, 17 minutes from alarm to arrival at the scene, and 29 minutes for scene time and flight to the hospital. Costs for helicopter rescue are twice as high as for ground-based rescue (ambulance). However, considering the relatively high percentage of severely injured or life-threatened sick children involved, air rescue and its higher costs appear to be justified.