Experience Performing Respiratory Support in Victims with Severe Injuries during Air Ambulance Evacuations by Light-Class Helicopter

Summary. The aim of the study was to determine the optimal types of respiratory support for acute respiratory failure in patients with severe trauma during medical evacuation by light-class helicopters.

Materials and research methods. The materials of the study are the data on the performance of respiratory support in patients with various types of trauma and acute respiratory failure for 2016-2021, contained in the automated information-analytical system “Disaster Medicine of Moscow” of the State Budget Institution “Moscow Territorial Scientific and Practical Center for Disaster Medicine of the Moscow City Health Department”.

When performing the study, historical, statistical and analytical methods were used.

Study results and their analysis. The results of the analysis showed:

– proportion of victims with various traumas received in the emergency situations in Moscow constitutes 31,9% of all sanitary losses in emergencies. Of them 12.9% were in an extremely severe and serious condition, including 1.1% who needed artificial lung ventilation and tracheal intubation;

– severe acute respiratory distress requiring ventilation and tracheal intubation was caused in 49.7% of cases by polytrauma, in 38.4 cases — by isolated trauma, in 8.7 cases — by thermal trauma, and in 3.2% of cases — by combined trauma.

The indications and peculiarities of artificial ventilation with tracheal intubation in patients with various traumas to be medically evacuated by a light-class ambulance helicopter have been determined.