A study of patients admitted to Miri Hospital, Sarawak, by airborne medical evacuation

From January 1980 to December 1982, there were 222 MEDEVAC patients admitted to Mid Hospital, out of whom 206 had their case notes available for this study. The median age of the 206 patients MEDEVAC was 24.5 years and the male to female ratio was 1.2 : 1. The Kenyah, Iban, Punans, Kelabit, Kayan and Murut ethnic groups contributed most of the cases. There was some seasonal variation in the number of MEDEVAC done, the high months being July and December and the low periods in May/June and October/November. Most of the MEDEVAC were requested by ground staff at the remote rural clinics and also district hospitals. The median duration of stay of the patients was 9.7 days. The top five causes for MEDEVAC were: bronchopneumonia; accidental falls; gastroenteritis; peptic ulcers; and appendicitis. 7.8% of the MEDEVAC died in hospital. The management of cases ranged from conservative management to blood transfusions to surgical interventions. Based on the criteria set, 63.6% of the MEDEVAC were considered justified.