Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2018
Case ReportsThe need for improving access to emergency care through community involvement in low- and middle-income countries: A case study of cardiac arrest in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients require immediate interventions by bystanders and emergency medical services (EMS). However, in many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), bystanders witnessing a cardiac arrest rarely perform chest compressions and contact EMS. This paper attempts to draw lessons from a case of a patient with a cardiac arrest who could have survived with immediate interventions. ⋯ Ventricular fibrillation due to electrocution is a benign type of cardiac arrest. The chance of survival increases with immediate chest compressions and prompt defibrillation. We discuss the reasons why the bystanders did not perform resuscitation or contact EMS and identify approaches for the improvement of pre-hospital care in LMICs.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2018
Routine cervical spine immobilisation is unnecessary in patients with isolated cerebral gunshot wounds: A South African experience.
Routine immobilisation of the cervical spine in trauma has been a long established practice. Very little is known in regard to its appropriateness in the specific setting of isolated traumatic brain injury secondary to gunshot wounds (GSWs). ⋯ Patients who sustain an isolated low velocity cerebral GSW are highly unlikely to have concomitant CSI. Routine cervical spine immobilisation is unnecessary, and efforts should be directed at management strategies aiming to prevent secondary brain injury. Further studies are required to address the issue in the setting of high velocity GSWs.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2018
Observational StudyExploring the feasibility of targeted chronic hepatitis B screening in the emergency department: A pilot study.
To explore the feasibility of an ED chronic hepatitis B (CHB) screening programme. ⋯ Targeted ED CHB screening is feasible but effectiveness and cost-effectiveness need further exploration.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2018
Epidemiology of trauma patients attended by ambulance paramedics in Perth, Western Australia.
The aim of the study was to describe the epidemiology of trauma in adult patients attended by ambulance paramedics in Perth, Western Australia. ⋯ The trauma incidence rate increased over time and the majority of patients had low-acuity injuries. Focusing research, training and resources solely on high-acuity patients will not cater for the needs of the majority of patients.
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Interest in artificial intelligence (AI) research has grown rapidly over the past few years, in part thanks to the numerous successes of modern machine learning techniques such as deep learning, the availability of large datasets and improvements in computing power. AI is proving to be increasingly applicable to healthcare and there is a growing list of tasks where algorithms have matched or surpassed physician performance. ⋯ Notwithstanding these challenges, AI technologies will likely become increasingly integrated into emergency medicine in the coming years. This perspective presents an overview of current AI research relevant to emergency medicine.