Use of the helicopter ventilator for ground transport from the helipad to the destination in the hospital Secondary analysis of the HOVER survey of ventilated HEMS patients

Background. In helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS), ventilated patients are frequently transported. Any disconnection of the patient from the ventilator may be associated with complications. Recently, an online survey (HOVER, Handover of ventilated Helicopter Emergency Medical Service [HEMS] patients in the emergency room) was published suggesting that only half of the patients are transferred from the landing site to the destination in the hospital using the helicopter ventilator (rather than using another ventilator supplied by the hospital). The goal of this study was to discover factors of the ventilator management during this transport using the data from this survey for secondary analysis. Methods. Emergency medical physicians and HEMS-TCs (HEMS technical crew members) of 145 HEMS bases were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey HOVER. Results. The probability to use of the helicopter ventilator was higher in special intensive care transport course trained HEMS teams (p = 0.01), HEMS bases with higher rates of interhospital transports (rather than primary missions) (p < 0.001), larger helicopter sizes (p < 0.001) and the existence of a "roll-in" stretcher in the helicopter (p < 0.001). The types of ventilators used (p = 0.91) and the mountings of the ventilator inside the helicopter (p = 0.08) did not influence the use of the helicopter ventilator. Conclusion. The use of helicopter ventilators seems to be associated with training and particular designation of participating HEMS bases. Further studies are required to explore if the ventilator management during transfer from the landing site to the emergency room may contribute to outcome.