Across the world, there are basically two types of prehospital emergency medical service systems. In Anglo-American countries, acute out-of-hospital care for critically ill patients is provided by paramedics, while in most European countries, this role is filled by anaesthetists or emergency specialists. Intuitively, prehospital anaesthetists seem to be a useful adjunct for improved patient outcome but at greater expense. Which system provides the best medical care for critically ill patients in the prehospital setting? Is it purely an economic issue?