Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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Practice Guideline
Termination of resuscitation for adult traumatic cardiopulmonary arrest.
The National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) and the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT) believe that emergency medical services (EMS) systems should have protocols that allow EMS providers to terminate resuscitative efforts for certain adult patients in traumatic cardiopulmonary arrest. This document is the official position of the NAEMSP and ACS-COT.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of emergency medical services systems across Pan-Asian countries: a Web-based survey.
There are great variations in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival outcomes among different countries and different emergency medical services (EMS) systems. The impact of different systems and their contribution to enhanced survival are poorly understood. This paper compares the EMS systems of several Asian sites making up the Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study (PAROS) network. Some preliminary cardiac arrest outcomes are also reported. ⋯ We found substantial variation in 11 communities across the PAROS EMS systems. This study will provide the foundation for understanding subsequent studies arising from the PAROS effort.
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Multicenter Study
Cardiac arrest survival is rare without prehospital return of spontaneous circulation.
Emergency medical services (EMS) are crucial in the management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Despite accepted termination-of-resuscitation criteria, many patients are transported to the hospital without achieving field return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). ⋯ Survival to hospital discharge after OHCA is rare without field ROSC. Resuscitation efforts should focus on achieving field ROSC. Transport should be reserved for patients with field ROSC or a shockable rhythm.
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Urban trauma systems are characterized by high population density, availability of trauma centers, and acceptable road transport times (within 30 minutes). In such systems, patients meeting field trauma triage (FTT) criteria should be transported directly to a trauma center, bypassing closer non-trauma centers. ⋯ Differential distance between the closest non-trauma center and the closest trauma center was associated with lower compliance with triage protocols, even in an urban setting where trauma centers can be accessed within approximately 30 minutes. Our findings suggest that there are opportunities for reducing the gap between ideal and actual application of field trauma triage guidelines through a process of education and feedback.
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Intoxication, whether from alcohol, drugs, or alcohol and drugs in combination, remains a challenging burden on emergency departments. The increasing alcohol consumption among adolescents and young adults, particularly heavy episodic drinking, and the resulting increase in the use of health care resources for alcohol intoxication has been a widely discussed topic. ⋯ Our findings suggest two main vulnerable groups: young persons under 25 years of age, with a particular focus on women, having the greatest increase over time, and middle-aged men, having the greatest proportion among all cases observed. Intervention efforts should include a high-risk approach to reduce alcohol-related problems. Key words: alcohol intoxication; substance-related disorders; aggression; injuries; emergency medical services.