# Patient profiles and P-HEMS specific interventions performed by a HEMS team in the netherlands; A retrospective cohort study of 18,199 patients

## TL;DR

This study analyzed 18,199 patients treated by a Dutch helicopter emergency medical service team over nine years, showing an increase in demand and common procedures used.

## Contribution

The study provides a detailed analysis of P-HEMS interventions and patient profiles in the Netherlands over a nine-year period.

## Key findings

- Trauma was the main reason for dispatches in adults, while neurological disorders were more common in children.
- P-HEMS specific procedures were performed in 43.2% of patients, with medication administration and airway management being most common.
- Non-cancelled dispatches increased by 31.7% over nine years, driven by non-traumatic conditions.

## Abstract

The objective of this study was to provide an overview of dispatches and procedures performed by a Dutch P-HEMS-team during a nine-year period.

In this retrospective cohort study, all non-cancelled dispatches of the Rotterdam P-HEMS team between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2023, were analyzed. Dispatches were stratified by specific medical conditions and age. Furthermore, data on P-HEMS specific procedures were collected and temporal trends were analyzed.

During the nine-year study period, the P-HEMS-team was dispatched 36,242 times, of which 18,396 (50.8%) dispatches were cancelled before arrival on scene. In 17,846 (49.2%) non-cancelled dispatches, the P-HEMS team assessed 18,199 patients. The main reasons for dispatch were trauma (62.9% in adults, 41.5% in children), out of hospital cardiac arrest (14.8% in adults, 9.8% in children) and neurological disorders (6.8% in adults, 22.3% in children). The number of annual non-cancelled dispatches increased from 1,605 to 2,114 (31.7% increase) during the study period, mostly due to an increase in dispatches for non-traumatic conditions. One or more P-HEMS specific procedures were performed in 7,793 (43.2%) of patients. The most frequently performed procedures were administration of P-HEMS specific medication (n = 6,298; 34.9%) and drug assisted advanced airway management (n = 5,348; 29.7%).

Over a nine-year period, there has been an increasing demand for P-HEMS care in the Southwestern part of the Netherlands for traumatic and non-traumatic conditions. P-HEMS specific procedures were performed in 43.2% of patients attended by the P-HEMS team. This proportion has remained fairly stable during the study period.