Analysis of the hems «national service of medical aviation» missions in leningrad region in 2017

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of National Service of Medical Aviation (St. Petersburg, Russia). This is anesthesiologist-staffed helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) mostly intended for the from-the-field and interhospital transport of patients with severe trauma and life-threatening diseases from rural hospitals to specialized medical centers in St. Petersburg. In total, 219 patients were included, that were transported by HEMS in 2017. 44,3% of patients had major or multiple injuries, 21,0% suffered from acute heart diseases, 15,5% had strokes or brain trauma. No one patient’s death during the flight was observed. This study findings provided valuable information that may have an impact on the current staffing and accreditation criteria for HEMS operations in Russia.