Critical Minutes In Traffic Accidents: A Review Of Paramedics’ Early Interventions And Patient Outcomes

Abstract

Road traffic accidents continue to be a leading cause of preventable mortality and long-term disability worldwide, posing major challenges to healthcare systems and public safety. The immediate minutes following a crash, often described as the “critical minutes” or part of the golden hour, are decisive for survival and functional recovery. Paramedics, as frontline responders, provide essential pre-hospital interventions that can stabilize patients, reduce complications, and improve outcomes before arrival at definitive care facilities. This review explores the impact of early paramedic interventions in traffic accident emergencies, examining strategies such as airway management, hemorrhage control, immobilization, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, rapid transportation, and the integration of emerging technologies including telemedicine and AI-supported decision tools. Evidence from recent clinical studies demonstrates that timely actions by trained paramedics contribute significantly to reducing mortality, decreasing neurological deficits, and improving long-term recovery in trauma patients. Furthermore, the review highlights barriers such as training variability, system-level delays, and resource limitations that may hinder optimal pre-hospital care. By synthesizing global literature, this article underscores the crucial role of paramedics in bridging the gap between accident scenes and trauma centers, and emphasizes the need for continuous training, standardized protocols, and policy reforms to enhance emergency response efficiency. Ultimately, strengthening paramedic-led interventions in road traffic accidents can reduce the burden of trauma and save countless lives.