New Zealand land search and rescue operations: an analysis of medical and traumatic conditions.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the range and types of medical and traumatic conditions encountered in land search and rescue operations in New Zealand.

METHODS: Twenty months (May 2010 to December 2011) of land search and rescue operations were analyzed. Data on medical and traumatic conditions were extracted from the New Zealand Police search and rescue database.

RESULTS: During the period audited, New Zealand Police coordinated 1490 land-based search and rescue operations, from which 611 persons fulfilled the study inclusion criteria. Males accounted for 60.5% of the subjects, and a trauma-related injury was the most commonly encountered condition (37.3% of all). The lower limb was the most commonly injured body site, and most injuries occurred as the result of a slip or fall. Medical conditions were recorded in 11.6% of operations and included a wide spread of conditions, with cardiovascular events being seen most frequently. Hypothermia was diagnosed in 9.3% of all operations, and fatalities made up 5.6% of the sample. Thirty percent of all operations were for persons with cognitive impairment who had wandered away from their usual place of residence. These were almost entirely urban searches and concentrated in districts with large populations.

CONCLUSIONS: Search and rescue personnel are exposed to a broad range of medical and traumatic conditions. In New Zealand, they include preexisting cognitive impairment that results in persons lost in urban environments. Notwithstanding this, many subjects will also need to be managed in remote, resource-limited environments for extended periods. First aid training and field equipment should reflect these demands.