Airlift Services Underused for Minority Patients With Severe Trauma

TUESDAY, Jan. 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Racial and ethnic minority patients with severe trauma are less likely to receive airlift services compared with White patients in the United States, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in JAMA Surgery.

Christian Mpody, M.D., Ph.D., from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues assessed if racial and ethnic disparities exist in the use of air transport for U.S. patients with severe trauma. The analysis included 341,286 patients treated at 458 level I or II trauma centers with helicopter service, identified from the National Trauma Data Bank (2016 to 2022).

The researchers found that Asian individuals were less likely to receive helicopter transport than White individuals (6.8 versus 21.8 percent; adjusted relative risk [aRR], 0.38), driven by lower use for Asian patients in teaching hospitals (aRR, 0.29) and level I trauma centers (aRR, 0.33). Black patients also were less likely to receive helicopter transport (8.7 versus 21.8 percent; aRR, 0.42), particularly in teaching hospitals (aRR, 0.41) and level I trauma centers (aRR, 0.40). Less pronounced disparities were observed for Hispanic patients. There was a lower mortality risk seen for those transported via helicopter versus ground transport (37.7 versus 42.6 percent; aRR, 0.87).

“The current expansion of air transport use after severe trauma in the United States has yet to translate into equitable trauma care across racial and ethnic groups,” the authors write.

One author disclosed holding patents for acyclic cucurbiturils for reversal of drugs of abuse and neuromuscular blocking agents.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)