Skip to main content

Airlift Services Underused for Minority Patients With Severe Trauma

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 29, 2025.

via HealthDay

TUESDAY, Jan. 28, 2025 -- 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)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

ENDO: Sweeteners, Genetic Predisposition Independently Linked to Early Puberty

TUESDAY, July 15, 2025 -- Sweetener consumption and genetic predisposition are independently associated with the risk for central precocious puberty (CPP), according to a study...

Diagnostic Model Based on Delayed Post-Gadolinium Enhancement MRI Accurate for Meniere Disease

TUESDAY, July 15, 2025 -- A diagnostic model based on delayed post-gadolinium enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DEMRI) improves the accuracy of Meniere disease (MD)...

Atopic Dermatitis May Be Linked to Increased Risk for CKD

TUESDAY, July 15, 2025 -- Atopic dermatitis (AD) was associated with an increased risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in an Asian population, according to a study published...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.