title: Helicopter emergency medical service in fars province: the referral trauma center of South of iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Considering the limited available resources, high cost of the helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS), and high load of trauma patients especially in our centers, a careful assessment of HEMS in our center seemed to be necessary for trauma patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  From April 2001 to September 2007, the data of all patients transferred by HEMS were extracted including: Annual number of services, clinical category, number of proper or improper services, and rescue time for HEMS and ground ambulance. The criteria for the properly transferred group included: Death or being operated in the first 24 hours of admission, admission in ICU care units, and transfer of more than three patients in one mission. Others were considered as improper group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this period through 185 flights, 225 victims were transferred. The most common reason of HEMS dispatching was trauma. The most difference of rescue time between ground ambulance and HEMS was recorded in Lamerd that was transferring patients with HEMS needed 3 hours less than ground ambulance. However, in Sarvestan, Dashte-Arjan, and Marvdasht, transferred patients with ground ambulance needed less time than air transfer. Most of transferred patients were from Kazeroon, Nourabad and Lamerd respectively while 46.3% of patients were in the proper group, and the rest were considered as improper group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study revealed that helicopter dispatch to the cities like Lamerd, Lar, Khonj, Abadeh can be more effective, whereas, for the towns like Marvdasht, Dashte-Arjan, Sarvestan, Sepidan, Saadatshar, Tang Abolhayat use of HEMS should be limited to specific conditions. Our study showed inclusion of physicians in the decision making team increased the number of transferred cases.
authors: Fars EMS, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Moradian
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Rastegarfar
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Salahi
authors: H R
authors: HR
authors: Abbasi
authors: Sh
authors: Sh
authors: Paydar
authors: M R
authors: MR
authors: Rastegar
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Dehghani
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Mousavi
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Shirzad
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Khorrami
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Esnaashar
authors: Sh
authors: Sh
authors: Bolandparvaz