Prehospital and disaster medicine
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Apr 1993
Comparative StudyComplication rates for the esophageal obturator airway and endotracheal tube in the prehospital setting.
The purpose of this study was to determine the complication rates associated with the use of the endotracheal tube (ET) and the use of the esophageal obturator airway/esophageal gastric tube airway (EOA/EGTA) during the treatment of patients with prehospital cardiac arrest. ⋯ The complication rate for the EOA/EGTA is unacceptably high, and careful thought must be given to its continued use.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Apr 1993
Sources of occupational stress among firefighter/EMTs and firefighter/paramedics and correlations with job-related outcomes.
This paper reports the results of an initial effort to develop and test a measure of the various sources of job-related stress in firefighter and paramedic emergency service workers. ⋯ The findings suggest that firefighter and paramedic job stress is very complicated and multi-faceted. Based on this preliminary investigation, the SOOS instrument appears to have adequate reliability and concurrent validity.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Apr 1993
Ethical challenges in emergency medical services. A special contribution of the Ethics Committee, National Association of Emergency Medical Services Physicians.
Patient autonomy, beneficence, and justice are the fundamental ethical principles of an emergency medical service. Ethical conflicts are present in the daily practice of prehospital care. These conflicts surround issues of resuscitation, futile therapy, consent, and refusal of care, duty, and confidentiality. ⋯ Many learn by experience, some are guided by clear policy. Ideally, medical control personnel will be educated, interested, and available to address dilemmas which arise. Where possible, policies and procedures should be developed to address ethical issues which are likely to be faced by EMS personnel.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Jan 1993
Telemedicine and international disaster response. Medical consultation to Armenia and Russia via a Telemedicine Spacebridge.
The Telemedicine Spacebridge, a satellite-mediated, audio-video-fax link between four United States and two Armenian and Russian medical centers, permitted remote American consultants to assist Armenian and Russian physicians in the management of medical problems following the December 1988 earthquake in Armenia and the June 1989 gas explosion near Ufa. ⋯ These results suggest that interactive consultation by remote specialists can provide valuable assistance to on-site physicians and favorably influence clinical decisions in the aftermath of major disasters.