Features of the organization and implementation of intensive care in seriously injured with burns during the air medical evacuation

Abstract

Relevance. The problem of organizing and providing emergency medical care during the medical evacuation of seriously injured in emergency situations who received burns remains relevant up to the present time. The effectiveness of the intensive care performed at the prehospital stage significantly affects the condition of patients and the outcome of the treatment. A fairly effective and safe way to evacuate victims in critical condition, including those with burns, is the use of air ambulance. At the same time, the preparation and management of patients subject to air medical transportation requires solving a number of problems during the flight.Intention.  To analyze the results of the organization and implementation of intensive care over the past 8 years in seriously injured people with burns after emergencies during aeromedical evacuation by a light-class helicopter.Methodology. We analyzed data from the automated information and analytical system “Disaster Medicine of the city of Moscow” of the Moscow Territorial Scientific and Practical Center of Disaster Medicine (CEMP) of the Department of Healthcare of the City of Moscow concerning medical evacuation of patients with burns over the past 8 years (2014–2021). Historical, statistical, analytical methods were used in the study.Results and Discussion. The main causes of thermal injury are fires, which rank third in the number of events and the number of victims, and first in the number of deaths. In the structure of victims with thermal trauma, 26 % were in extremely serious and serious condition, of which 2 % needed artificial lung ventilation and tracheal intubation. Indications and features of artificial lung ventilation with tracheal intubation were determined for victims with thermal burns who were subject to medical evacuation by a light-class ambulance helicopter.Conclusion. Aeromedical transportation of a burn patient with adequate therapy is relatively safe and prognostically more effective compared to other methods of medical evacuation. When using flight crews with little experience in providing emergency medical care to victims with large burns, special attention should be paid to resuscitation and maintaining euthermia (maintaining human body temperature).