Air Medical Evacuations From the German North Sea Wind Farm Bard Offshore 1: Traumatic Injuries, Acute Diseases, and Rescue Process Times (2011-2013)

Dirk Dethleff*, Nils Weinrich, Birgitt Kowald, Dorothea Hory, Rüdiger Franz, Maja Verena Nielsen, Klaus Seide, Christian Jürgens, Markus Stuhr

*Corresponding author for this work
3 Citations (Scopus)

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. Conclusion 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.

Original languageEnglish
JournalAir Medical Journal
Volume35
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)216-226
Number of pages11
ISSN1067-991X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.07.2016

Research Areas and Centers

  • Academic Focus: Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM)

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