A new research paper from our Research and Innovation Team shows that Pre-hospital Emergency Anaesthesia (PHEA) provided by Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) crews is faster than transporting major trauma patients to hospital for anaesthesia, which can significantly affect patient outcomes.
Our Research and Innovation Team found that it took an average of 64 minutes from the emergency call for patients treated by HEMS to receive an emergency anaesthetic, compared to 84 minutes where there was no HEMS involvement and the patient had to wait until hospital arrival to undergo emergency anaesthesia.
Pre-hospital Emergency Anaesthesia (PHEA) is a critical intervention for major trauma patients, particularly those with a traumatic brain injury. It is given to protect the patient’s airway and ensure they are sufficiently ventilated.
In the UK, PHEA can only be performed by highly skilled clinicians, either in the Emergency Department (ED), or by air ambulance crews. The number of patients who require PHEA after trauma exceeds the capacity of air ambulances to deliver them, so patients are often transported to the ED by ambulance staff with an ‘unprotected’ airway. National guidelines recommend that major trauma patients requiring PHEA received the intervention at the accident scene and ideally within 45 minutes.
Professor Richard Lyon MBE, our Executive Director of Research and Innovation and Deputy Medical Director commented: “This paper shows that HEMS-delivered Pre-hospital Emergency Anaesthesia is faster than just transporting major trauma patients to hospital for anaesthesia.
“As published evidence and guidelines demonstrate that time from initial injury to emergency anaesthesia can significantly affect patient outcome, particularly for traumatic brain injury patients, this is an important finding to support the benefit of HEMS.”
The paper, published in The Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, looked at 209 patients in South East England who had suffered trauma, mostly from involvement from involvement in a road traffic collision or a fall from height. These patients often have a reduced level of consciousness and require an emergency anaesthetic to allow protection of their airway and ensure ventilation to be optimised.
The study looked at how long it took from the 999 call for patients to undergo PHEA when it was delivered either pre-hospital by KSS, or in the hospital Emergency Department. The study considered whether the location of the emergency anaesthetic made a difference to mortality, outcome and length of stay in hospital.
The study concluded that HEMS involvement in providing PHEA rapidly can potentially save lives and improve outcomes for people with serious injuries. It suggests that more patients could benefit from faster, pre-hospital emergency care.
We have an established reputation for Research and Innovation which has paved the way for improvements in patient care in the UK and around the world.
