RESUMO
Due to a miscommunication during the process of transferring this manuscript from our editorial team to Production, the Members of the American College of Emergency Physicians Clinical Policies Committee (Oversight Committee) were not properly indexed in PubMed. This has now been corrected online. The publisher would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Assuntos
Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência/organização & administração , Serviços de Saúde para Idosos/organização & administração , Hospitais de Veteranos/organização & administração , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Avaliação Geriátrica/métodos , Humanos , Masculino , Recursos Humanos em Hospital/educação , VeteranosAssuntos
Intoxicação por Monóxido de Carbono/diagnóstico , Intoxicação por Monóxido de Carbono/terapia , Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência , Doença Aguda , Adulto , Biomarcadores/metabolismo , Intoxicação por Monóxido de Carbono/complicações , Intoxicação por Monóxido de Carbono/metabolismo , Carboxihemoglobina/metabolismo , Testes de Função Cardíaca , Humanos , Oximetria/métodos , Oxigenoterapia/métodosRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Aeromedical services are used routinely in the prehospital and interhospital transfer of patients with trauma, neurosurgical, cardiac, and other conditions requiring specialized care. The use of aeromedical transport in patients with acute toxicologic emergencies is not well described. We sought to investigate and describe the characteristics of patients transported by our aeromedical service. SETTING: The study was performed at an urban critical care transport service operating both ground and aeromedical units and transporting an average of 3,362 patients per year during the study period. METHODS: Charts from the 5-year period of 2000 to 2004 for which a toxicologic emergency was coded as the primary diagnosis were identified and reviewed by the authors. Data abstracted included age, sex, toxin(s) involved, treatment rendered at the scene/bedside and en route by the transport team, and additional data (electrocardiogram [ECG] findings, serum levels) when appropriate. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-three patients were transported (for a total of 135 transports). Most (82%) were transported by air. Carbon monoxide was the most common toxic exposure, accounting for 16% of all transports. Fifty-seven percent of the patients were intubated, with 11% intubated by the flight crew. Antidotes were administered in 40 patients, with naloxone and bicarbonate being the most common. CONCLUSION: Acute toxicologic emergencies accounted for a small percentage of total transports. The most common additional intervention by flight crews was endotracheal intubation. Identification of common poisonings encountered by flight crews may assist services in developing education and quality assurance programs.