Trauma operating room in conjunction with an air ambulance system: indications, interventions, and outcomes.

We report a retrospective study of 198 trauma patients brought directly to a trauma operating room by an air ambulance system. Despite rapid transport, expert prehospital resuscitation, and the capability of early surgical intervention, the overall mortality was high (57%). There was no significant salvage of patients arriving without pulse, blood pressure or cardiac activity. Optimal trauma care failed to show encouraging results in this preselected group of patients with predominantly blunt and multisystem injury. The justification and cost effectiveness of this system of trauma care is discussed.