land Medevac

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* Panel Reviews land Medevac Program

SUSAN NICOL KYLE

EMSRESPONDER.COM NEWS

BALTIMORE -- A panel of national experts reviewing land's renowned

medevac program will issue recommendations Tuesday morning.

On Monday, the panel heard how land's EMS system works. They learned

how the network was initiated and how it has developed into a model

program.

The panel was assembled at the request of Dr. Bass, executive

director of land Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems,

following the September crash of a state police helicopter.

The crash claimed the lives of four people - the pilot, the flight

paramedic, an EMT and a patient. The lone survivor was released from R

Shock Trauma Center on Monday afternoon while the panel was

deliberating.

Since the Sept. 28 crash, the number of medevacs has dropped. Dr.

Flocare, state aeromedical director, said some ambulance crews

are skittish now about calling for a helicopter.

That hesitation concerns trauma physicians. Bass said he's worried that

some patients who should be flown to trauma centers are instead being

transported by ambulance.

He made it clear that providers shouldn't hesitate to call.

Bass added that it's often very difficult for providers to perform

adequate triage at the scene of a crash due to noise and other factors.

They also don't have the diagnostics to rule out internal injuries.

The land triage protocol for helicopter vs. ambulance transports

were changed in July. Since the crash, providers are required to consult

with a physician

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for patients who do not fall into priority categories.

Panel Chairman Dr. MacKersie said the panel has its work cut out

for them. He said reviewing the state's triage policy is the first step.

After hearing several hours of testimony, the group went into closed

session to discuss and develop its recommendations which will be

presented Tuesday morning.

Bass said he was pleased with the panel's choice to deliver their work

before heading back to various areas of the country.

The state's 29-member EMS advisory council will consider the proposal

next. After that, the state EMS board will review the document to

determine if the suggestions should be adopted.

" I believe the panel is balanced. They were chosen for their expertise, "

Bass said. " These are tough issues, and there are no clear answers. "

In the past 11 months, the NTSB has investigated nine fatal medevac

crashes that have claimed 29 lives. For years, there's been discussion

on the benefits vs. risks of transporting patients by air.

The panel will be reviewing trends in helicopter utilization as part of

its work. Bass said he was well aware of the criticism that too many

patients are being transported by air rather than by ambulance.

Other members of the panel include Dr. , director of trauma,

burn and LifeFlight Patient Care Center, Vanderbilt University; Dr.

Ellen MacKenzie, chair department of health policy and management, s

Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Tom Judge, executive director

of LifeFlight of Maine; Dr. H. , associate medical

director, Boston MedFlight; Bledsoe, clinical professor of

emergency medicine, University of Nevada School of Medicine; and

Metcalf, Chief, North County Fire Protection District, Fallbrook, Ca.