Resuscitation
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The objective of this study was to test acceptance of, and interest in, a newly developed prototype of virtual reality enhanced mannequin (VREM) on a sample of congress attendees who volunteered to participate in the evaluation session and to respond to a specifically designed questionnaire. ⋯ The prototype of the virtual reality enhanced mannequin was well-liked, without interfence by interaction devices, and deserves full technological development and validation in emergency medical training.
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Emergency Preservation and Resuscitation (EPR) represents a novel approach to treat exsanguination cardiac arrest (CA) victims, using an aortic flush to induce hypothermia during circulatory arrest, followed by delayed resuscitation with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The status of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity after prolonged hypothermic CA is unclear. The objective of this study was to assess BBB permeability in two EPR models in rats, associated with poor outcome. Rats subjected to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and naïve rats served as positive and negative controls, respectively. ⋯ BBB integrity to albumin is not disrupted early after resuscitation from prolonged CA treated with EPR. Neuroprotective adjuncts to hypothermia in this setting should focus on agents that penetrate the BBB. These findings also have implications for deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Learning on a simulator does transfer to clinical practice.
Cricoid pressure is recommended during positive pressure ventilation CPR and during anaesthesia when there is a risk of regurgitation. Studies suggest that cricoid pressure is frequently applied incorrectly placing patients at risk of regurgitation. Simulation training has been shown to improve the performance of cricoid pressure on a simulator, but whether simulation training improves the clinical performance of cricoid pressure was unknown. The aim of our study was to determine if simulator training improved the clinical performance of cricoid pressure. ⋯ Simulation training with force feedback significantly improved the performance of cricoid pressure in the clinical setting. Simulation training should be used more frequently to train and maintain resuscitation skills.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Emergency room management of trauma patients in Greece: preliminary report of a national study.
The aim of this study was to record and to evaluate the epidemiology of trauma in Greece and to assess the quality of management provided for trauma patients in the emergency department in Greek hospitals. ⋯ Data from this study show that there is substantial room for improvement in the patient care in the emergency department following trauma. Further evaluation will be required to identify particular management patterns that can be readily altered.