Resuscitation
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To understand the association between neighborhood and individual characteristics in determining whether or not bystanders perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). ⋯ Cardiac arrest victims in the highest income census tracts were much more likely to receive bystander CPR than in the lowest income census tracts, even after controlling for individual and arrest characteristics. Low-income neighborhoods may be particularly appropriate targets for community-based CPR training and awareness efforts.
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Clinical Trial
The impact of medical emergency teams on ICU admission rates, cardiopulmonary arrests and mortality in a regional hospital.
In-hospital cardiac arrests are commonly associated with poor outcomes and preceded by observable signs of clinical deterioration. Medical emergency teams (METs) have emerged to provide early specialist care intervention to critically ill patients. ⋯ Implementation of the MET in a regional hospital was associated with statistically significant reductions in hospital-wide mortality rates, ICU admissions and cardiopulmonary arrests.
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Family presence during resuscitation and invasive procedures (FPDRAIP) has been a frequent topic of debate among healthcare personnel worldwide. This paper determines the knowledge, experiences and views of Greek physicians and nurses on FPDRAIP and examines possible correlations and factors promoting or limiting the implementation of the issue. ⋯ This study reveals that healthcare personnel in Greece are not familiar with the issue of FPDRAIP. In view of the increasing evidence on the advantages of this practice, we recommend implementation of relevant educational programs and institutional guidelines and policies.
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This paper reports the results of a study of fourth year medical students that assessed whether assessments of basic life support (BLS) and intubation performance differ when assessed by the students themselves or by tutors. This information should be helpful for designing the contents of a complementary education core. ⋯ We observed correlations between student self-assessments and tutor assessments for both BLS and intubation. Analyzing the discrepancies between self-assessment and tutor assessment will be helpful in focusing training on the steps that were omitted by students or during which students demonstrated incompetence.
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There is limited evidence to guide the recognition of patients with massive, uncontrolled hemorrhage who require initiation of a massive transfusion (MT) protocol. ⋯ A prediction rule for determining an increased likelihood for the need for massive transfusion has been derived. This needs validation in an independent data set.