Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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Comparative Study
Evaluation of Extremity Tissue and Bone Injury after Intraosseous Hypertonic Saline Infusion in Proximal Tibia and Proximal Humerus in Adult Swine.
Hypertonic saline (HTS) has been reported as a treatment for sever traumatic brain injury and hemorrhagic shock and current clinical guidelines recommend it. Intraosseous (IO) infusion is often needed in the pre-hospital and combat settings to administer life-saving treatments. However, the safety of IO HTS infusion is not clear. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical and histological outcome of HTS IO infusion into the extremity of a large animal model. ⋯ We observed regular tissue morphology and normal gait scores over the 5 day observation period. There was an absence of gross tissue necrosis and microscopic ischemia post IO HTS infusion in this swine model. This data confirms the clinical safety of IO HTS infusion and highlights its use as an alternative lifesaving treatment.
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Prehospital selective cervical spine immobilization (CSI) is a relatively new concept. In our emergency medical services (EMS) system, protocols for selective CSI are widely used; yet, some patients who are brought to the hospital without CSI undergo secondary immobilization and cervical spine imaging in the emergency department (ED). Immobilization in the ED, after a decision not to immobilize by EMS, suggests that either the prehospital assessment is not trusted or the patient has developed new symptoms over time. We undertook a quality assurance initiative to evaluate whether trauma patients brought to the ED without CSI, who then underwent secondary CSI and imaging in the ED, had injuries that were initially missed by EMS selective CSI protocol. ⋯ In this retrospective quality assurance initiative, none of 101 patients who underwent secondary CSI and imaging in the ED had a missed acute cervical injury. No patients had any adverse effects or required treatment, yet these patients incurred substantial costs and increased radiation exposure. While our results suggest hospital personnel should have confidence in prehospital decisions regarding CSI, continued surveillance and a large-scale, prospective study are needed to confirm our findings.
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The number of ambulance crewmembers may affect the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in particular situations. However, few studies have investigated how the number of emergency care providers affects the quality of CPR. Nonetheless, problems in the initial handling of patients due to small ambulance crew sizes may have significant consequences. ⋯ The patient eventually died. This case highlights the requirement for specific instructions for paramedics to manage obese patients in these emergency conditions. This case also highlights the need to take into account body mass index when deciding on appropriate pre-hospital care, especially regarding the number of ambulance crewmembers.
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To compare the amount of segmental vertebral motion produced with the lateral recovery position and the HAINES technique when performed on cadavers with destabilized cervical spines. ⋯ At this time, no single version of the recovery position can be endorsed for the spine-injured trauma patient. More research is needed to fully ascertain the safety of commonly used recovery positions.
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The purpose of this study was to examine trends in oxygen administration following the 2010 American Heart Association guidelines recommendation to withhold oxygen therapy for patients with uncomplicated presentations of ACS whose SpO2 is 94% or higher. ⋯ The prehospital administration of supplemental O2 decreased significantly following release of the 2010 updated guidelines; however, our data revealed that 50% of patients not meeting criteria for administration still received supplemental O2.