title: Helicopter transport and blunt trauma mortality: a multicenter trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite many studies addressing potential impact of helicopter transport on trauma mortality, debate as to the efficacy of air transport continues.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study combined trauma registry data from five urban Level I adult and pediatric centers. Logistic regression assessed effect of helicopter transport on mortality while adjusting for age, sex, transport year, receiving hospital, prehospital level of care (Advanced Life Support vs. Basic Life Support), ISS, and mission type (scene vs. interfacility).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study database comprised 16,699 patients. Crude mortality for Air (9.4%) was 3.4 times (95% CI, 2.9-4.0, p < 0.001) that of Ground (3.0%) patients. In adjusted analysis, helicopter transport was found to be associated with a significant mortality reduction (odds ratio, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.59-0.98; p = 0.031).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study are consistent with an association between helicopter transport mode and increased survival in blunt trauma patients.
authors.affiliation: Boston MedFlight Critical Care Transport Service, Boston, Massachusetts 01730, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Timothy H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Wende Reenstra
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Buras
authors.forename: Waleed
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cheema
authors.forename: Suzanne K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Wedel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017732:Air Ambulances; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012042:Registries; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D019037:Urban Health Services; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology