Air medical journal
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Air medical journal · May 2011
Comparative StudyAuscultation in flight: comparison of conventional and electronic stethoscopes.
The ability to auscultate during air medical transport is compromised by high ambient-noise levels. The aim of this study was to assess the capabilities of a traditional and an electronic stethoscope (which is expected to amplify sounds and reduce ambient noise) to assess heart and breath sounds during medical transport in a Boeing C135. ⋯ Flight practitioners involved in air medical evacuation in the C135 aircraft are better able to practice auscultation with this electronic stethoscope than with a traditional one.
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Airway management is a key component of air medical care for seriously ill and injured patients. This meta-analysis of the prehospital airway management literature explored the pooled air-medical placement success rates for oral endotracheal intubation (OETI), including rapid sequence intubation (RSI) and drug-facilitated intubation (DFI), nasotracheal intubation (NTI), blind insertion airway devices (BIAD), and surgical cricothyrotomy (SCRIC). ⋯ We provide pooled estimates for airway management procedural success rates in the air medical setting. These data can be used by program managers and medical directors in determining the most appropriate airway management procedures to incorporate into their services and for benchmarking in quality improvement activities.
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Air medical journal · May 2011
Comparative StudyFixed-wing medical transport crashes: characteristics associated with fatal outcomes.
Previous studies within the aeromedical literature have looked at factors associated with fatal outcomes in helicopter medical transport, but no analysis has been conducted on fixed-wing aeromedical flights. The purpose of this study was to look at fatality rates in fixed-wing aeromedical transport and compare them with general aviation and helicopter aeromedical flights. ⋯ Similar to published studies in helicopter medical transport, postcrash fires are the primary factor associated with fatal outcomes in fixed-wing aeromedical flights.