Drones reduce the treatment-free interval in search and rescue operations with telemedical support - A randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Response to medical incidents in mountainous areas is delayed due to the remote and challenging terrain. Drones could assist in a quicker search for patients and can facilitate earlier treatment through delivery of medical equipment. We aim to assess the effects of using drones in search and rescue (SAR) operations in challenging terrain. We hypothesize that drones can reduce the search time and treatment-free interval of patients by delivering an emergency kit and telemedical support. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial with a cross-over design two methods of searching for and initiating treatment of a patient were compared. The primary outcome was a comparison of the times for locating a patient through visual contact and starting treatment on-site between the drone-assisted intervention arm and the conventional ground-rescue control arm. A linear mixed model (LMM) was used to evaluate the effect of using a drone on search and start of treatment times. RESULTS: Twenty-four SAR missions, performed by six SAR teams each with four team members, were analyzed. The mean time to locate the patient was 14.6 min (95% CI 11.3-17.9) in the drone-assisted intervention arm and 20.6 min (95% CI 17.3-23.9) in the control arm. The mean time to start treatment was 15.7 min (95% CI 12.4-19.0) in the drone-assisted arm and 22.4 min (95% CI 19.1-25.7) in the control arm (p < 0.01 for both comparisons). CONCLUSION: The successful use of drones in SAR operations leads to a reduction in search time and treatment-free interval of patients in challenging terrain, which could improve outcomes in patients suffering from traumatic injuries, the most commonly occurring incident requiring mountain rescue operations.

Jedi ops over Sicily

The military-civilian SAR duties of 82nd squadron includes regular cooperation with the mountain rescue unit CNSAS, the police and the firefighting forces of Vigili del Fuoco. Since 2018, the unit is also equipped with water-bambi buckets to assist with forest fires. The region around Trapani air base is an ideal for these purposes, not only for sea ops training, but also the rough Sicilian mountainous landscape is perfect to practice in a wide variety of circumstances", Capt Conforti informed us. When needed the HH-139 can be made available to transfer patients between hospitals, with a supplementary bio-containment cradle, the patient was isolated to secure a safe working area for the crew.

COVID-19 Pandemic in Mountainous Areas: Impact, Mitigation Strategies, and New Technologies in Search and Rescue Operations.

van Veelen, Michiel J., Anna Voegele, Simon Rauch, Marc Kaufmann, Hermann Brugger, and Giacomo Strapazzon. COVID-19 pandemic in mountainous areas: impact, mitigation strategies, and new technologies in search and rescue operations. High Alt Med Biol. 22:335-341, 2021.-Mitigating the spread of COVID-19, an airborne infection, can lead to delays in the prehospital response and impair the performance of search and rescue (SAR) services in mountainous and remote areas. We provide an overview of the developing epidemiological situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic in mountainous areas and review current protocols to determine their suitability for mountain rescue teams. We also discuss using novel technologies to reduce the adverse effects caused by COVID-19 mitigation strategies such as delays caused by donning personal protective equipment (PPE) and reduced rescuer performance due to impaired movement and ventilation. COVID-19 has spread even in mountainous and remote locations. Dedicated protocols for the use of PPE appropriate for SAR rescuers exerting physical effort in remote areas and using technologies such as drones, telemedicine, and localization and contact tracing applications could contribute to an effective and timely emergency response in mountainous and remote settings.

Guidelines for Mountain Rescue During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Official Guidelines of the International Commission for Alpine Rescue.

Roy, Steven, Inigo Soteras, Alison Sheets, Richard Price, Kazue Oshiro, Simon Rauch, Don McPhalen, Maria Antonia Nerin, Giacomo Strapazzon, Myron Allen, Alistair Read, and Peter Paal. Guidelines for mountain rescue during the COVID-19 pandemic: official guidelines of the International Commission for Alpine Rescue. High Alt Med Biol. 22: 128-141, 2021. Background: In mountain rescue, uncertainty exists on the best practice to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission. The aim of this work was to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in mountain rescue. Methods: Original articles or reviews, published until December 27, 2020 in Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register, EMBASE, PubMed, and Google Scholar were included. Articles were limited to English, French, German, or Spanish with the article topic COVID-19 or other epidemics, addressing transmission, transport, rescue, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Results: The literature search yielded 6,190 articles. A total of 952 were duplicates and 5,238 were unique results. After exclusion of duplicates and studies that were not relevant to this work, 249 articles were considered for this work. Finally, 72 articles and other sources were included. Conclusions: Recommendations are provided for protection of the rescuer (including screening, personal protective equipment [PPE], and vaccination), protection of the patient (including general masking if low risk, specific PPE if high risk), equipment hygiene (including disinfection after every mission), use of single-use products, training and medical measures under COVID-19 precautions, and psychological wellbeing of rescuers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adapted COVID-19 precautions for low-and-medium-income countries are also discussed.