• Tim Nutbeam, Rob Fenwick, Charles Hobson, Vikki Holland, and Michael Palmer.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, Devon, UK.
• Emerg Med J. 2014 Dec 1;31(12):1006-8.

BackgroundMany patients will require extrication following a motor vehicle collision (MVC). Little information exists on the time taken for the various stages of extrication.ObjectiveTo report the time taken for the various stages of extrication.MethodsA prospective, observational study carried out in the West Midland Fire Service's metropolitan area. Time points related to extrication were collected 'live' by two-way radio broadcast. Any missing data were actively gathered by fire control within 1 h of completion of extrication. This paper reports an interim analysis conducted after 1 year of data collection following a 3-month run-in and training period: data were analysed from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011 inclusive.ResultsDuring the study period 228 incidents were identified. Seventy-nine were excluded as they met the predetermined exclusion criteria or had incomplete data collection. This left 158 extrications that were suitable for analysis. The median time for extrication was 30 min, IQR 24-38 min.ConclusionsIn patients requiring extrication following an MVC a median time of 8 min is typically required before initial limited patient assessment and intervention. A further 22 min is typically required before full extrication. Prehospital personnel should be aware of these times when planning their approach to a trapped patient.Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

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