title: [Helicopter transport of patients from Croatian Adriatic Islands and coastal area in the period from 1996 to 2002].
abstract: For most of the Croatian Adriatic islands and coastal area, helicopter is the fastest, and for some remote areas the only effective way of patient transport. In Croatia, most of the aeromedical transports are performed by helicopters of 95th Air Force Base. During the post-war period, the number of civilian patients transported with those helicopters increased from 56 in 1996 to 311 in 2002, this trend continuing in 2003. The majority of these transports were performed in the third trimester of the year, the largest number of patients were transported from the Island of Hvar, and the most common medical indication for aeromedical trasport was trauma. The lack of competent medical escort may have unfavourable impact on patient health and flight safety. The increasing trend in requesting aeromedical transport would obviously justify the foundation of a specialized commercial service to provide both safe transport and competent medical escort.
authors.affiliation: Institut pomorske medicine Hrvatske rathe mornarice, Split, Hrvatska.
authors.forename: Hrvoje
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stipancević
authors.forename: Nadan M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Petri
authors.forename: Dejan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Andrić
mesh_terms: D017732:Air Ambulances / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017523:Croatia; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000639:trends