tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133703253863123050.post8520002698494780149..comments2024-02-21T03:48:52.674-05:00Comments on Flying Lessons: Myth and Marketing of the Golden HourChristine Negronihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15190247339367487575noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133703253863123050.post-21512693678318882682010-12-28T16:23:05.359-05:002010-12-28T16:23:05.359-05:00This post is a mixed bag…partly true, partly not.
...This post is a mixed bag…partly true, partly not.<br /><br />When Dr. R. Adams Cowley first advanced the concept of “the golden hour” in Baltimore in the early 70’s, it was meant as just that – a concept. The theory was based partly on military data coming out of Vietnam (that showed better survival rates among severely injured soldiers who reached surgical care more quickly), and partly on physiological experiments with animal models that showed an inverse relationship between survival rates and time from injury to resuscitation. However, I don’t think there is any record of Dr. Cowley or any other scientist asserting that there is an actual, concrete, 60-minute long window that every trauma transport has to conform to. Rather, the “golden hour” was simply the slogan-ization of the sound idea that many severely injured patients would have the best chance at a positive outcome if the received the most expeditious transport possible, to the most appropriate care possible. <br /><br />Now, all that said, I certainly DO agree that the concept has been overtaught, overmarketed, and overused as a justification for endless expansion of the HEMS industry. BUT, the basic concept is still very sound: severely injured trauma patients should be delivered to a trauma team ASAP. I can assure you, that if you suffer a traumatic aortic disruption or epidural hematoma or femoral artery rupture as a result of slamming your car into a tree at 60 mile per hour, then time is NOT your friend… <br /><br />If one wants to attack a concept that is completely unsubstantiated yet has been used to justify tens of thousands of grossly inappropriate helicopter transports, then look into “mechanism of injury”. The only time the “golden hour” concept is really useless and irresponsible is when it is combined with mechanism of injury as a justification for helicopter transport.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133703253863123050.post-12405308257372851382010-12-22T12:07:16.105-05:002010-12-22T12:07:16.105-05:00You should ask Arizona why they have not put a sto...You should ask Arizona why they have not put a stop the the Petroleum Helicopters "HALO" program. Ask the City of Glendale and Surprise how many patients they've flown for no reason just to keep the contract. Ask them why they have a lower level of care on board this helicopter than any other. Compare the number of flights from the City of Glendale and Surprise prior the HALO contract vs after the contract.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com