The American journal of emergency medicine
-
A model study was performed by an economist in Lower Frankonia (a mostly rural area of West Germany with several urban centers) to examine the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the emergency medical service that included prehospital physician presence. To perform this examination about $3.5 million were spent to improve organization and communication within the local emergency medical service, to purchase additional equipment and further emergency vehicles, and to install prehospital emergency physician service. The median response time was lowered to 6 minutes. This report surveys whether these reforms and extra fundings were beneficial and cost-efficient.
-
Much emphasis has been placed on evaluating the entire cervical spine through the seventh cervical vertebra. A case of a missed C7-T1 fracture-subluxation with resultant morbidity is presented. A review of the literature reveals the necessity to view the C7-T1 interspace when evaluating cervical spine radiographs. Recommendations are made suggesting closer scrutiny of this region of the spine.
-
After cardiac arrest (no flow) of more than approximately 5 minutes' duration, standard external cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) basic, advanced, and prolonged life support (BLS, ALS, PLS) do not reliably produce cerebral and coronary perfusion pressures to maintain viability and achieve stable spontaneous normotension; nor do they provide prolonged control over pressure, flow, composition, and temperature of blood. Since these capabilities are often needed to achieve conscious survival, emergency closed-chest cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) by veno-arterial pumping via oxygenator is presented in this review as a potential addition to ALS-PLS for selected cases. In six dog studies by the Pittsburgh group (n = 221; 1982 through 1988), all 179 dogs that received CPB after prolonged cardiac arrest (no flow) or after CPR (low flow) states had restoration of stable spontaneous circulation. ⋯ Other groups' laboratory and clinical results agree with these findings in general. Clinical feasibility trials are needed to work out logistic problems and to meet clinical challenges. Future possibilities for emergency CPB require further research and development.
-
A patient with a dual-chamber pacemaker presented with rhythmic contractions of her right hemidiaphragm. The atrial lead of her pacemaker had retracted into the right subclavian vein, causing pacing of the right phrenic nerve. The cause of the lead displacement is unknown, but may have resulted from unintentional manipulation of the pacemaker generator pouch by the patient, the so-called Pacemaker Twiddler's Syndrome.
-
A review of the charts of 198 patients who were admitted through the emergency department with a variety of acutely painful medical and surgical conditions revealed that 56% received no analgesic medication while in the emergency department. In the 44% of patients who received pain medication, 69% waited more than 1 hour while 42% waited more than 2 hours before narcotic analgesia was administered. In addition, 32% initially received less than an optimal equianalgesic dose of narcotic when compared with morphine. This study demonstrates that narcotic misues, in the form of oligoanalgesia, is prevalent and is the shared responsibility of both emergency physicians and housestaff consultants.