A review of drug use during air medical transport to optimize an air ambulance formulary.
BACKGROUND
The advent of air medical transport has pushed the delivery of critical care medicine into the prehospital arena. As a result, a wide variety of pharmacologic agents must be available in the air medical setting.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to conduct a retrospective review of drugs used during air medical transport to allow a streamlining of the air ambulance formulary.


METHODS
All flights completed since the inception of the study's helicopter air ambulance program in 1985 through September 1991 were analyzed to determine which medications were used in flight. Drugs were counted if they were administered while in flight for either a scene or interhospital transport.


RESULTS
Review of 2,694 flights showed that 45 individual drugs had been routinely carried during the study period. Many of these agents were administered fewer than five times during the six years, and 10 drugs were not used at all.


CONCLUSIONS
As a result of this investigation, the formulary for our air medical transport service was modified. The authors recommend similar critical audits of drugs carried in flight be performed by other air ambulance services.
East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, NC 27858.
C K
CK
Stone
S H
SH
Thomas
D017732:Air Ambulances / Q000592:standards*; D003625:Data Collection; D017723:Drug Utilization Review / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005572:Formularies, Hospital as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D009657:North Carolina