Resuscitation
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Historical Article
International EMS systems: The United States: past, present, and future.
Emergency medical services (EMS) is an organised system designed to transport sick or injured patients to the hospital. Though EMS system configurations can be quite varied in design depending on locale, we provide an overview of EMS as it has evolved and is currently modelled in the US. ⋯ We provide an overview of provider training, system design, system funding, and dispatch issues. The concepts of medical direction for physician surrogates, as well as EMS as it relates to specialty care are also elucidated.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
The effect of mild therapeutic hypothermia on renal function after cardiopulmonary resuscitation in men.
Mild therapeutic hypothermia (MTH) improves neurological outcome in patients after cardiac arrest. From animal and human studies it appears that hypothermia impairs renal function. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of MTH on renal function in humans. ⋯ Twenty four hours of MTH was associated with a delayed improvement in renal function. This was not reflected in the serum creatinine values, which were low in the hypothermic group. This transient impaired renal function appeared to be completely reversible within 4 weeks.
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Comparative Study
Laryngeal mask airway in neonatal resuscitation: a survey of current practice and perceived role by anaesthesiologists and paediatricians.
To survey current practice and to compare the opinion of paediatricians and anaesthesiologists regarding laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in neonatal resuscitation. ⋯ Laryngeal mask airway availability and perceived value were higher amongst anaesthesiologists than their paediatric colleagues. However, educational level, competence and utilization rates of the LMA in neonatal resuscitation were low in both groups.
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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be achieved by repetitive motion of the body headwards to footwards in the spinal axis, at 2 Hz and +/- 0.6 G in a juvenile pig model of ventricular fibrillation. Return of spontaneous circulation and normal neurological outcome occurred after a total of 22 min of ventricular fibrillation that included a 3-min noninterventional period [Resuscitation 56 (2003) 215; Resuscitation 51 (2001) 55]. Since older pigs have stiffer rib cages than juvenile pigs and their hemodynamic response to various stimuli might differ, this study was carried out to determine whether this method of CPR, termed pGz-CPR, was just as effective in older pigs. pGz-CPR was also compared to chest compression CPR using an automated mechanical device (CONV-CPR). ⋯ Hemodynamic instability 15 min after ROSC occurred in all animals with CONV-CPR whereas only three of eight pigs with pGz-CPR demonstrated hemodynamic instability (P < 0.05). We conclude that pGz-CPR in older pigs produces similar ROSC reported by other investigators in pigs without the risk of rib fractures. Further, pGz-CPR is associated with a lower incidence of periods of hemodynamic instability following ROSC than CONV-CPR.
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to demonstrate that nitric oxide (NO) contributes to free radical generation after epicardial shocks and to determinethe effect of a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), on free radical generation. ⋯ NO contributes to free radical generation and nitrosative injury after epicardial shocks; NOS inhibitors decrease radical generation by inhibiting the production of O = NOO-.