But the potential medical benefits are not always so apparent. In Falkner, Miss., a helicopter responding to a traffic accident crashed after experiencing mechanical trouble. The patient, who had what the local fire chief described as "a pretty bad leg injury," was driven 57 miles to a trauma center in Tupelo without incident.
Maryland has implemented a change since last month's crash that is designed to limit the number of flights that are not medically necessary. Patients with obvious severe injuries are flown whenever helicopters offer a "clinically significant reduction in transport time," but more questionable cases now require consultation with doctors at the receiving hospital.
But specialists outside Maryland say they will pursue a broader re-evaluation of helicopters for medical transport, particularly as examples mount of flights that might not have benefited the patients onboard.
