Improving trauma care in British Columbia using early activation of helicopter emergency medical services

Utilizing helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) to minimize the time from injury to definitive trauma care is increasingly popular in North America. Through a combination of improved access, expeditious transport, and superior preclinical therapy, multiple studies have demonstrated that direct transfer by HEMS from the emergency scene to a level-1 trauma center significantly reduces mortality. Early activation of HEMS, or Autolaunch, to emergency scenes prior to the arrival of ground ambulances based on information provided by 9-1-1 callers is an innovative way of reducing response times further. Information extracted from these callers enables the dispatcher to simultaneously send HEMS and ground-EMS directly to the scene. This work presents a study that examined the changes in response times to major trauma patients in southwestern British Columbia since the Autolaunch strategy came into effect in 2004. This study highlights significant reductions in response times when Autolaunch is used.