title: A 10-year analysis of 214 HEMS backcountry hoist rescues.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few published studies on civilian helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) hoist programs exist. This study provides a demographic analysis of hoist rescue operations performed by the only FAA Part 135 hoist-approved civilian HEMS operator in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  All persons hoisted between May 29, 2001, and May 28, 2011, were retrospectively analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over a 10-year period, 212 of 214 victims were hoisted. The most common indications were fall injuries (38%) and being stranded (21%). Victim demographics showed an average age of 35 ± 17years, predominantly male (79%), often associated with trauma (66%), with a majority (68%) of all victims requiring subsequent transport to a hospital by ground ambulance (24%) or flown by Life Flight (44%). Hoists occurred most often in the afternoon (14:07 ± 3:47 hours), during the weekend (53%), in the months of May-September (71%), at an altitude of 7,488 ± 1487 feet, with the seat harness (39%) being the most common mode of victim extraction. Hoist insertion of search and rescue (SAR) personnel occurred infrequently (5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results from this demographic study on hoist operations can provide important demographic information for HEMS contemplating backcountry hoist operations and programs that interface with SAR agencies.
authors: Intermountain Life Flight, Intermountain Healthcare, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, USA. judi.carpenter@imail.org
authors: Judi
authors: J
authors: Carpenter
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000401:Aircraft; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018635:Rescue Work / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014589:Utah