Long-range rescue helicopter missions in the Arctic.
BACKGROUND
Search and rescue helicopters from the Royal Norwegian Air Force conduct ambulance and search and rescue missions in the Barents Sea. The team on-board includes an anesthesiologist and a paramedic. Operations in this area are challenging due to long distances, severe weather conditions, and arctic winter darkness.


METHODS
One-hundred, forty-seven ambulance and 29 search and rescue missions in the Barents Sea during 1994-1999 were studied retrospectively with special emphasis on operative conditions and medical results.


CONCLUSIONS
Thirty-five percent of the missions were carried out in darkness. The median time from the alarm to first patient contact was 3.3 hours and the median duration of the missions was 7.3 hours. Forty-eight percent of the missions involved ships of foreign origin. Half the patients had acute illnesses, dominated by gastrointestinal and heart diseases. Most of the injuries resulted from industrial accidents with open and closed fractures, amputations, and soft tissue damage. Ninety percent of the patients were hospitalized; 7.5% probably would not have survived without early medical treatment and rapid transportation to a hospital.


CONCLUSIONS
Using a heavy search and rescue helicopter in the Barents Sea was the right decision in terms of medical gain and operative risk.
Haagensen
Rolf
R
Norwegian Air Ambulance, Lakselv, Norway. haarol@online.no
Sjøborg
Karl-Ake
KA
Rossing
Anders
A
Ingilae
Henry
H
Markengbakken
Lars
L
Steen
Peter-Andreas
PA
D000059:Accidents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017732:Air Ambulances / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001110:Arctic Regions; D002980:Climate; D004631:Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians; D005390:Fires / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005398:Fisheries; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008889:Military Personnel; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D018635:Rescue Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012767:Ships / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012941:Social Responsibility; D013997:Time Factors; D014887:Weather; D000078329:Workforce; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology