title: Air Medical Evacuations From the German North Sea Wind Farm Bard Offshore 1: Traumatic Injuries, Acute Diseases, and Rescue Process Times (2011-2013).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our purpose was 2-fold: 1) to show emergency-related traumatic injury and acute disease patterns and 2) to evaluate air rescue process times in a remotely located German offshore wind farm. Optimally, this will support methodologies to reduce offshore help time (time from the incoming emergency call until offshore arrival of the helicopter).
  
  
  METHODS
  The type and severity of traumatic injuries and acute diseases were retrospectively analyzed for 39 air medevacs from August 2011 to December 2013, and the process times of air rescue missions were evaluated in detail.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-nine percent of the medevacs were related to traumatic injuries, whereas 41% were associated with acute diseases and 10% remained unclear. Cardiovascular and gastrointestinal disorders accounted for 90% of internal medical cases. About 69% of the trauma was related to contusions, lacerations, and cuts. The main body regions injured were limbs (∼59%) and head (∼32%). The total rescue time until arrival at the destination facility averaged 175.3 minutes (standard deviation = 54.4 minutes). The mean helicopter offshore arrival time was 106.9 minutes (standard deviation = 57.4 minutes) after the incoming emergency call. In 64% of the medevacs, the helicopter arrived on scene within a help time of 90 minutes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A reduction of help time (≤ 60 minutes) for time-critical severe trauma and acute diseases may be anticipated through rapid and focused medical and logistic decision-making processes by the onshore dispatch center combined with professional, qualified, and well-trained flight and rescue personnel.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Biomechanics, BG Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: d.dethleff@bgk-hamburg.de.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dethleff
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Biomechanics, BG Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Nils
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Weinrich
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Biomechanics, BG Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Birgitt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kowald
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, BG Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Dorothea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hory
authors.affiliation: Northern HeliCopter GmbH, Emden, Germany; Oldenburg Hospital, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Rüdiger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Franz
authors.affiliation: Department of Trauma Surgery, Orthopedics and Sports Traumatology, BG Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Maja Verena
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Biomechanics, BG Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seide
authors.affiliation: Department of Trauma Surgery, Orthopedics and Sports Traumatology, BG Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jürgens
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Israelite Hospital at Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stuhr
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D017732:Air Ambulances; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D009659:North Sea; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D013997:Time Factors; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014919:Wind; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*