High risk pediatric emergency air transport.
BACKGROUND
Pediatric Emergency Air Transports (PEATs) at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, were reviewed between November 1986 and December 1987. Severity of illness, complications, and outcome of PEATs were compared with ground transports. Factors associated with PEAT survival were identified.


METHODS
Severity of illness was measured using a modified Denver Patient Status Category (DPSC) method and the Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS). There were 35 PEATs (30 helicopter, five fixed-wing) and 96 ground transports.


RESULTS
Mean severity of illness for patients was greater in PEAT than for the ground transport (PEAT DPSC score=4.23+/-1.06 versus ground DPSC=3.57+/-0.89 [SD], p=.0005). The PEAT mortality was associated with a greater mean severity of illness (TISS survivors=19.1+/-11.4 versus non-survivors=44.3+/-9.5, p=.0001), but not with: the presence of an on-flight physician; transport delay; transport duration; age; sex; history of chronic illness; or intra-transport medical complications.


CONCLUSIONS
Compared to ground transports, PEATs were used for higher risk patients.
Goldstein
B
B
Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass.
Fugate
J H
JH
Conn
A K
AK
Todres
I D
ID
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000401:Aircraft; D000552:Ambulances; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D009511:New England; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015996:Survival Rate; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices