Prehospital and disaster medicine
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Oct 2004
Comparative StudyPrehospital spirituality: how well do we know ambulance patients?
To assess the religious spirituality of EMS personnel and their perception of the spiritual needs of ambulance patients. ⋯ EMTs and paramedics did not perceive spiritual concerns as often as reported by ambulance patients, nor did they commonly inquire about the religious/spiritual needs of patients.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Oct 2004
Comparative StudyPrehospital use of aspirin rarely is associated with adverse events.
Aspirin is commonly administered for acute coronary syndromes in the prehospital setting. Few studies have addressed the incidence of adverse effects associated with prehospital administration of aspirin. ⋯ Aspirin is rarely associated with adverse events when administered by prehospital personnel for presumed coronary syndromes.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Oct 2004
Comparative StudyHalf-a-million strong: the emergency medical services response to a single-day, mass-gathering event.
Emergency medical services (EMS) responses to mass gatherings have been described frequently, but there are few reports describing the response to a single-day gathering of large magnitude. ⋯ This report on the EMS response, outcomes, and role of the physicians at a large single-day mass gathering may assist EMS planners at future events.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Oct 2004
Comparative StudyCost-effectiveness and benefit of alternatives to improve training for prehospital trauma care in Mexico.
In Latin America, there is a preponderance of prehospital trauma deaths. However, scarce resources mandate that any improvements in prehospital medical care must be cost-effective. This study sought to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of several approaches to improving training for personnel in three ambulance services in Mexico. ⋯ This study highlights the importance of assuring uniform, basic training for all prehospital providers. This is a more cost-effective approach than is higher-cost ALS training for improving prehospital trauma care in environments such as Latin America.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Oct 2004
Comparative StudyWhere's the tube? Evaluation of hand-held ultrasound in confirming endotracheal tube placement.
The diagnosis of endotracheal tube (ETT) mal-position may be delayed in extreme environments. Several methods are utilized to confirm proper ETT placement, but these methods can be unreliable or unavailable in certain settings. Thoracic sonography, previously utilized to detect pneumothoraces, has not been tested to assess ETT placement. ⋯ This report raises the possibility that thoracic sonography may be another tool that could be used to confirm proper ETT placement. This technique may have merit in extreme environments, such as in remote, pre-hospital settings or during aerospace medical transports, in which auscultation is impossible due to noise, or capnography is not available, and thus, requires further scientific evaluation.