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In this prospective study, 273 air rescue patients with major blunt trauma were followed throughout their prehospital and clinical management. A blood sample was taken upon arrival and data acquired at three defined time points. With these data, for the first time a prognosis prediction model with prehospital and early clinical routine parameters and routine lab parameters was tested for predictive power. Coagulation test, value of base excess, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) value, severity of injury, and age appeared to be relevant parameters. The probability of survival after major blunt trauma decreases with increasing age and severity of injury and decreasing values in GCS, base excess, and coagulation test. These data showed that it is possible with the help of easily accessible routine parameters and routine lab parameters to predict individual survival with a high degree of accuracy of 82%.

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Congenital abnormalities of the cervical spine are rare findings in trauma victims. Deficiency of the posterior arch of the atlas and coincidental thalassaemia minor are even more unusual. This case report is about a young female trauma victim with both abnormalities, a combination that has previously not been described in literature. The classification, as proposed by Currarino et al in 1994, and the importance of being aware of these abnormalities are discussed.

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Treatment of patients suffering from severe head injury is so far restricted to general procedures, whereas specific pharmacological agents of neuroprotection including hypothermia have not been found to improve the outcome in clinical trials. Albeit effective, symptomatic measures of the preclinical rescue of patients (i.e. stabilization or reestablishment of the circulatory and respiratory system) or of the early clinical care (e.g. prompt diagnosis and treatment of an intracranial space occupying mass, maintenance of a competent circulatory and respiratory system, and others) by and large constitute the current treatment based on considerable organizational and logistical efforts. These and other components of the head injury treatment are certainly worthwhile of a systematic analysis as to their efficacy or remaining deficiencies, respectively. Deficits could be associated with delays of providing preclinical rescue procedures (e.g. until intubation of the patient or administration of fluid). Delays could also be associated in the hospital with the diagnostic establishment of intracranial lesions requiring prompt neurosurgical intervention. By support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and under the auspices of the Forschungsverbund Neurotraumatology, University of Munich, a prospective system analysis was carried out on major aspects of the pre- and early clinical management at a population based level in patients with traumatic brain injury. Documentation of pertinent data was made from August 1998 to July 1999 covering a catchment area of Southern Bavaria (5.6 mio inhabitants). Altogether 528 cases identified to suffer from severe head injury (GCS < or = 8 or deteriorating to that level within 48 hrs) were enrolled following admission to the hospital and establishment of the diagnosis. Further, patients dying on the scene or during transport to the hospital were also documented, particularly as to the frequency of severe head injury as underlying cause of mortality. The analysis included also cases with additional peripheral trauma (polytrauma). The efficacy of the logistics and organization of the management was studied by documentation of prognosis-relevant time intervals, as for example until arrival of the rescue squad at the scene of an accident, until intubation and administration of fluid, or upon hospital admission until establishment of the CT-diagnosis and commencement of surgery or transfer to the intensive care unit, respectively. The severity of cases studied in the present analysis is evident from a mortality of far above 40% of cases admitted to the hospital, which was increased by about 20% when including prehospital mortality. The outcome data notwithstanding, the emerging results demonstrate a high efficacy of the pre- and early clinical management, as indicated by a prompt arrival of the rescue squad at the scene, a competent prehospital and early clinical management and care, indicative of a low rate of avoidable complications. It is tentatively concluded on the basis of these findings that the patient prognosis is increasingly determined by the manifestations of primary brain damage vs. the development of secondary complications.

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In a retrospective study of mission data of ADAC Air Rescue of the years 2000 and 2001 the quality of preclinical care of 1,946 patients with severe head injuries and 1,878 polytraumatized patients was examined. The actual preclinical care of these patients was compared with a catalogue of eleven thesis-like recommendations. These recommendations were previously derived from corresponding publications of national and international specialist companies and were introduced in a binding manner by the senior doctors of the participating air rescue centres. The results of the study show that 73.3% of the severe head injuries were preclinically intubated and 94.4% were supplied with oxygen, 82.2% were analgosedated. 94.8% could be delivered to the hospital of destination. 65.9% had a systolic blood pressure of >120 mmHg upon admission to the hospital. 71.4% of severe head injury victims were equipped with a cervical support, 23.3% had the blood pressure documented. 47.3% reached the hospital of destination in less than 60 minutes. Among polytraumatic patients the intubation was performed in 75.7%, the supply with oxygen in 90.7%, 88.6% of the patients were analgosedated. 78.7% of patients suffering from concomitant head injuries were provided with a cervical support and only 22.8% had a blood sugar measurement documented. A concomitant severe thorax trauma was treated by a thorax drainage in 59.2%. 35.6% of the polytraumata reached the hospital of destination in less than 60 minutes. The work describes the preclinical patient care of severe head injuries and polytraumata, pointing out deficits and presenting optimization possibilities, particularly in the area of training. Furthermore, the work shows the concept of the medical quality management in an air rescue enterprise. The total evaluation of all air rescue centres participating in data collection forms the basis of an external quality comparison. The data evaluation of a single station makes regional strengths and weaknesses visible, deficits can be proven and proposals for optimization be developed. The presentation of the time history of data yields continuous standard information on the state of the patient care at the relevant air rescue location and enables the analysis of improvement concepts based on the updated data.

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