Trauma Doctors to Be Consulted Before Some Patient Transports

Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, October 7, 2008; Page B02 Maryland emergency medical workers will begin consulting with trauma center doctors before using helicopters to transport patients who do not have obvious severe injuries, authorities said yesterday. The change -- first responders previously decided whether to summon a helicopter without such a consultation -- was announced eight days after a Maryland State Police helicopter crashed in Prince George's County, killing a patient and three rescue workers. The helicopter was transporting two teenagers who complained of chest, neck and side pain after a car accident. The mother of Ashley Younger, the 17-year-old patient who was killed, has questioned whether she was airlifted unnecessarily. Robert Bass, the state's chief of emergency medical response, also announced... [read full story]