Medical Helicopters Flying On Proponents: Air Ambulances Worth The Cost And Risk
Abstract
Originally Published Sunday, June 20, 1999, in the Herald-Leader , Kentucky, USA.
Linked from “The Internet Journal of Rescue and Disaster Medicine” with the permission of the author Frank E. Lockwood and the Herald-Leader , Kentucky, USA. http://www.kentuckyconnect.com
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``At first the European insurance industry wouldn’t pay because it’s so expensive,’‘ said Dr. Olivier Wenker, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a former trauma surgeon with the Swiss Air Rescue. ``But they realized it was cheaper in the long run if the helicopter goes and picks them up.’‘
So-called "scoop-and-run" missions can save precious minutes. Direct air evacuation to the best suited hospital saves not only lives, but often decreases the damage caused by brain and spinal injuries, Wenker says.
