Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
-
Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2012
Use of step stool during resuscitation improved the quality of chest compression in simulated resuscitation.
Resuscitation on a medical bed is difficult because of the need to match the height of the bed to the height of the rescuer, which is impossible on a fixed-height medical bed. This study investigated the effect of using a step stool on chest compressions performed on a manikin in a fixed-height medical bed. ⋯ In-hospital resuscitation was conducted on a fixed-height medical bed by rescuers of different heights. The use of a step stool may improve the quality and effectiveness of chest compressions, particularly for short rescuers.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2012
Prospective comparison of point-of-care international normalised ratio measurement versus plasma international normalised ratio for acute traumatic coagulopathy.
Early detection of acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) might be useful to guide trauma resuscitation. This study aimed to compare results from a point-of-care (POC) international normalised ratio (INR) measuring device with plasma INR in acute trauma patients. ⋯ POC INR measurements using this method during the trauma reception and resuscitative phases cannot be used to identify or exclude patients with ATC. Further studies are required to determine if there is any role for POC INR measures during trauma resuscitation.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2012
Simple external rotation of the leg increases the size and accessibility of the femoral vein.
To determine if external rotation of the leg increases the size and accessibility of the femoral vein compared with a neutral position. ⋯ The total and accessible femoral vein diameter is increased and the surface depth of the vein is decreased by placing the leg in external rotation compared with the neutral position.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2012
Case ReportsToxic cocktail: methanol poisoning in a tourist to Indonesia.
Methanol poisoning has become very uncommon in Australasia with regulations that have reduced its retail availability. This report describes a young tourist who developed sudden onset visual failure and rapid breathing 2 days after ingestion of a complimentary local drink called Arrack when travelling in Indonesia. ⋯ The cocktail was consumed at a popular tourist bar but is likely to have been mixed from home-brewed or 'moonshine' alcohol tainted with methanol. The aetiology of methanol poisoning, its optic toxicology and therapeutic measures are discussed, as is the concerning number of methanol poisoning cases among tourists to Indonesia over recent years.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2012
Senior Streaming Assessment Further Evaluation after Triage zone: a novel model of care encompassing various emergency department throughput measures.
Access block (AB) and hospital overcrowding adversely affect ED functionality. ED throughput measures have been described in the literature with positive impacts on key performance indicators (KPIs)--time to first seen, did-not-wait rates, off-stretcher times for ambulances and ED length of stay figures. In this study, we aimed to assess the impact of a new model of care, the Senior Streaming Assessment Further Evaluation after Triage (SAFE-T) zone concept on ED performance indicators and statistical outcomes. ⋯ The SAFE-T zone model of care involving multiple ED throughput measures achieved improvements in ED performance despite AB and hospital overcrowding.