Benefits of helicopter emergency medical service for acute stroke patients in Chiba Prefecture

Abstract

A helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) system was initiated in Chiba Prefecture and the southern area of Ibaraki Prefecture from October 2001. Helicopter transport for patients with acute stroke appears beneficial, although the data are limited. We retrospectively investigated the use of helicopter transport from October 27, 2001 to December 31, 2004. The time from emergency call to arrival at our hospital via helicopter transport was 28.4±6.8 min (15-57 min) for the emergency transport of 338 patients who were admitted to the Neurological Institute, Nippon Medical School Chiba Hokusoh Hospital. There were 77 patients (34.8%) with intracerebral hemorrhage, 53 (24.0%) with subarachnoidal hemorrhage, 46 (20.8%) with cardiogenic embolism, 30 (13.6%) with atherothrombotic infarction, 7 (3.2%) with lacunar infarction, 6 (2.7%) with other types of cerebral infarction and 2 (0.9%) with transient ischemic attack. Thrombolysis was performed in 3 patients with severe cerebral infarction, although reperfusion was not observed. The HEMS system appears to be effective for the acute treatment of stroke without regional differences. Helicopter transport for patients with milder cerebral infarction may be needed for effective thrombolysis.