title: Outcome, transport times, and costs of patients evacuated by helicopter versus fixed-wing aircraft.
abstract: We determined the differences in transport times and costs for patients transported by fixed-wing aircraft versus helicopter at ranges of 101 to 150 radial miles, where fixed-wing and helicopter in-hospital transports commonly overlap. Statistical analysis failed to show a significant difference between the trauma-care patients transported by helicopter (n = 109) and those transported by fixed-wing (n = 86) for age, injury severity score, hospital length of stay, hospital mortality, or discharge disability score. The times in returning patients to the receiving hospital by helicopter (n = 104) versus fixed-wing (n = 509) did not differ significantly. Helicopter transport costs per mile ($24), however, were 400% higher than those of fixed-wing aircraft with its associated ground ambulance transport costs ($6). Thus, helicopter transport is economically unjustified for interhospital transports exceeding 100 radial miles when an efficient fixed-wing service exists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Flight, LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT 84143.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wisham
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Clemmer
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Orme
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Larsen
mesh_terms: D000401:Aircraft / Q000191:economics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D013997:Time Factors; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D014193:Trauma Centers; D014589:Utah