Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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Combat injury related wound infections are common. Untreated, these wound infections may progress to sepsis and septic shock leading to increased morbidity and mortality rates. Understanding infectious complications, patterns, progression, and correlated prehospital interventions are vital to understand the development of sepsis. We aim to analyze demographics, injury patterns, and interventions associated with sepsis in battlefield settings. ⋯ Sepsis occurred infrequently in the DoDTR when evacuation from battlefield is not delayed, but despite increased intervention frequency, developing sepsis demonstrates a significant drop in survival rates. Future research would benefit from the development of risk mitigation measures.
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Multicenter Study
An analysis of trauma characteristics between the older and younger adult patient from the Pan Asian Trauma Outcome Study registry (PATOS).
Asia is experiencing a demographic shift toward an aging population at an unrivaled rate. This can influence the characteristics and outcomes of trauma. We aim to examine different characteristics of older adult trauma patients compared to younger adult trauma patients and describe factors that affect the outcomes in Asian countries. ⋯ Older trauma patients in the Asian region have a higher mortality rate than their younger counterparts, with many significant predictors. These findings illustrate the different characteristics of older trauma patients and their potential to influence the outcome. Preventive measures for elderly trauma should be targeted based on these factors.
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We assessed fidelity of delivery and participant engagement in the implementation of a community paramedic coach-led Care Transitions Intervention (CTI) program adapted for use following emergency department (ED) visits. ⋯ Community paramedic coaches delivered the adapted CTI with high fidelity across geographically distant sites and successfully facilitated participant engagement, highlighting community paramedics as an effective resource for implementing such patient-centered interventions.
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The use of the extremity tourniquet in military environments has reduced preventable deaths due to exsanguinating hemorrhage, leading to increased use in civilian settings. However, the outcomes of contemporary prehospital tourniquet use in civilian settings are not well-described nationally. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics and outcomes following prehospital tourniquet use by emergency medical services (EMS) in the United States. ⋯ Prehospital tourniquet use by EMS in the United States is associated with lower scene-time and improved survivability to hospital. Results indicate that patients might benefit from wider tourniquet use in the civilian prehospital setting.
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Handoffs by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel suffer from poor structure, inattention, and interruptions. The relationship between the quality of EMS communication and the non-technical performance of trauma teams remains unknown. ⋯ There is a relationship between EMS MIST completeness and high performance of non-technical skill by trauma teams. Trauma video review (TVR) can help identify modifiable behaviors to improve EMS handoff and resuscitation efforts and therefore trauma team performance.