Air medical journal
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Air medical journal · Jul 2019
Observational StudyHandheld Tissue Oximetry for the Prehospital Detection of Shock and Need for Lifesaving Interventions: Technology in Search of an Indication?
Improved prehospital methods for assessing the need for lifesaving interventions (LSIs) are needed to gain critical lead time in the care of the injured. We hypothesized that threshold values using prehospital handheld tissue oximetry would detect occult shock and predict LSI requirements. This was a prospective observational study of adult trauma patients emergently transported by helicopter. ⋯ StO2 was not associated with LSI need on admission when adjusted for multiple covariates, nor was it independently associated with death. Handheld tissue oximetry was not sensitive or specific for identifying patients with prehospital occult shock. These results do not support prehospital StO2 monitoring despite its inclusion in several published guidelines.
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Air medical journal · Jul 2019
Comparative Study Observational StudyA Physician-Based Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Was Associated With an Additional 2.5 Lives Saved per 100 Dispatches of Severely Injured Pediatric Patients.
Physician-based helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) provide specialist medical care to the accident scene in order to improve the survival of severely injured patients. Studies that focus on the role of physician-based HEMS in pediatric trauma are scarce. The aim of this retrospective, observational study was to determine the effect of physician-based HEMS assistance on the survival of severely injured pediatric patients. ⋯ The data suggest that an additional 2.5 lives might be saved per 100 physician-based HEMS dispatches for severely injured pediatric patients.