Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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To explore trends in presentation and key performance indicators with respect to children seeking mental health services at The Prince Charles Hospital Children's Emergency Department (TPCH-CED), Brisbane. ⋯ Despite failing to demonstrate an interval increase in the proportion of children presenting to TPCH-CED requiring mental health services, it is clear that children with mental health needs, like their adult counterparts, disproportionately experience delays to appropriate care when compared with children presenting with other emergency conditions. Ongoing research is warranted to assess standards of care and the impact of mental health presentations on CEDs.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2021
Association of blood pressure changes with survival after paramedic rapid sequence intubation in out-of-hospital patients with stroke.
Rapid sequence intubation (RSI) is used to secure the airway of some patients with stroke. Recent observational studies suggest that RSI is associated with poorer survival, and that decreases in systolic blood pressure (BP) following RSI could be a cause of worse survival. The present study aims to find if decreased systolic BP after paramedic RSI is associated with poorer survival in stroke patients transported by ambulance. ⋯ Paramedic RSI-related decrease in systolic BP is associated with improved survival in those with intra-cerebral or subarachnoid haemorrhage but not ischaemic stroke.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2021
Neurologic outcomes following the introduction of a policy for using soft cervical collars in suspected traumatic cervical spine injury: A retrospective chart review.
In trauma patients with potential cervical spine injury, immobilisation with a rigid cervical collar is widely recommended to prevent a secondary spinal cord injury. There is a lack of evidence for the effectiveness of this practice, but increasing evidence for complications from rigid collars. Soft foam collars may mitigate some of these issues and are used in our health service in place of rigid collars in selected patients at risk for traumatic cervical spine injury. The objective of the present study was to describe the neurological outcome of patients according to the cervical stabilisation technique used. ⋯ The use of soft foam cervical collars in patients at risk for a cervical spine injury does not appear to increase the risk for secondary spinal cord injury but larger prospective studies are required before a robust conclusion on safety can be claimed.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2021
Observational StudyImpact of COVID-19 'circuit-breaker' measures on emergency medical service (EMS) utilisation and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes in Singapore.
To understand the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on emergency medical services (EMSs) utilisation and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes in Singapore. ⋯ The findings contribute to a growing body of literature internationally on the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on EMS utilisation and outcomes.