Safety
Helicopter EMS improves stroke survival odds
Prompt access to air ambulances can significantly improve the survival odds of stroke patients, according to a recently released University of Pennsylvania

Prompt access to air ambulances can significantly improve the survival odds of stroke patients, according to a recently released University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study. The research found that 45 percent of Americans–135 million people–are more than an hour away from primary stroke centers, the facilities best equipped to care for them if they are stricken by the condition. Less than a quarter of U.S. residents can reach a stroke center in less than 30 minutes.

The study found that using existing air ambulances to fly stroke patients to appropriate care would halve the number of Americans without 60-minute access to a primary stroke center. Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.