European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Sepsis is a serious disease leading to high mortality. Early recognition is important because treatment is most effective when started quickly.The primary aim of this retrospective cohort study was to assess how many sepsis patients are documented as septic by ambulance staff. The secondary aims were to investigate how many sepsis patients are transported by ambulance, to compare them with patients transported otherwise, to investigate which factors influence documentation of sepsis and to assess whether documentation influences mortality. ⋯ Ambulance patients are seriously ill, but sepsis is often not documented by ambulance staff. Nondocumentation is associated with high mortality and could be resolved by assessing vital signs, particularly the temperature.
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LAT (lidocaine, adrenaline, and tetracaine) gel is a topical anesthetic that can be applied on lacerations before suturing. It is considered easy to use and less painful than infiltrative anesthesia. Its use in laceration management has been studied the most in younger children.We aimed to describe the potential value of the use of LAT gel in older children and adults with simple lacerations. ⋯ LAT gel is a valuable alternative to infiltrative anesthesia for laceration repair. Its use should not be limited to children. The application of LAT gel seems to be specifically suitable for short lacerations (<4 cm), lacerations located on the head, and simple finger lacerations.
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Pediatric cardiac arrest carries a poor prognosis. Basic life support improves survival. Studies on pediatric basic life support (PBLS) training are sparse. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of self-training in PBLS. ⋯ Self-training is not statistically different to instructor-led training in teaching PBLS. Self-evaluated confidence improved, but showed no difference between groups. PBLS may be disseminated through self-training.
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This study aimed to investigate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guideline implementation and CPR training in hospitals. This nationwide study included mandatory resuscitation protocols from each Danish hospital. Protocols were systematically reviewed for adherence to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) 2010 guidelines and CPR training in each hospital. ⋯ Hospital BLS course duration was [median (interquartile range)] 2.3 (1.5-2.5) h, whereas ALS course duration was 4.0 (2.5-8.0) h. Implementation of ERC 2010 guidelines on BLS is limited in Danish hospitals 2 years after guideline publication, whereas the majority of hospitals adhere to the ALS algorithm. CPR training differs among hospitals.