Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2012
Assessment of the effect of Advanced Paediatric Life Support training on level of self-perceived preparedness among health-care workers in Cambodia.
The objective of this study was to survey the self-perceived preparedness of Cambodia's Advanced Paediatric Life Support (APLS) providers towards their APLS training and accreditation 5 years post-implementation. ⋯ APLS training has increased the self-perceived preparedness of paediatric health-care workers in Cambodia. RESULTS indicate moderate relevance to real patient resuscitations experienced by health workers, and the perceived recall of the teachings and sense of preparation from APLS training does not significantly decline over time. However, our results suggest subsequent further APLS instructor courses might maintain resuscitation preparedness.
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Cyanide poisoning is uncommon, but generates interest because of the presumed utility of an antidote immediately available in those areas with a high risk of cyanide exposure. As part of its regular review of guidelines, the Australian Resuscitation Council conducted a systematic review of the human evidence for the use of various proposed cyanide antidotes, and a narrative review of the relevant pharmacological and animal studies. There have been no relevant comparative or placebo-controlled human trials. ⋯ No case series using dicobalt edetate or 4-dimethylaminophenol were identified, but successful use in single cases has been reported. Hydroxocobalamin and sodium thiosulphate differ from alternatives in having negligible adverse effects, and on the basis of current evidence are the antidotes of choice. The indications for the use of an antidote, the requirements for supportive care and a recommended approach for workplaces where there is a risk of cyanide poisoning are presented.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyAustralian triage tags: a prospective, randomised cross-over trial and evaluation of user preference.
The aim of this study was to determine if any disaster triage tag is superior to others, based on objective parameters (time, accuracy) and subjective parameters (user preference). A secondary aim was to determine the average time to perform triage assessment using 'sieve and sort'. ⋯ The SMART card was preferred by participants based on design issues, which supports its implementation. We suggest that doctors are best used in the casualty clearing post.