Emergencias
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The purpose of this paper is to describe the main proposals for ensuring national health service sustainability, in the light of a review of the most relevant diagnostic reports and guidelines published since the onset of the economic crisis. The following proposals are among the most frequently mentioned in the literature: selective financing of technology, reorganization to provide more care for chronic conditions and better coordination between levels of care and the network of social and health care services, and the reinforcement of primary care. Also commonly suggested is the reform of health care governance. Likewise, the authors briefly examine the measures adopted to date to promote the system's sustainability and discuss how the emergency department can further this aim.
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To describe the quality of chest compressions performed by secondary-school students trained with a realtime audiovisual feedback system. ⋯ Real-time audiovisual feedback helps schoolchildren aged 12 to 15 years to achieve quality chest compressions on a mannequin.
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To analyze the diagnostic yield of a cut-point of 3 μg/mL for paracetamol in urine to screen for poisoning in children. ⋯ Measuring the paracetamol concentration in urine within 4 hours of dosing is useful to rule out prior intake of paracetamol and overdosing in PICU patients. Studies to validate the new cut-point of 3 μg/mL for paracetamol in urine are required with a view to possibly including it in a diagnostic protocol for suspected acute poisoning.
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The aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyze transport by helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) in cases of ischemic cerebral stroke in Poland in 2011 and 2012. We assessed the role of the HEMS in reducing prehospital times and analyzed changes in patients' status during transport. ⋯ Helicopter transport of these patients is safe and ensures their transfer to the nearest hospital or ambulance within the treatment time window. Time spent on care at the scene of the emergency should probably be as short as possible.
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To compare morbidity and mortality rates, the epidemiologic profile, and survival of patients with multiple injuries attended by the emergency services in the Navarre autonomous community in Spain in the periods of 2002-2003 and 2010-2012. ⋯ The problem of the number of young people injured in accidents in our community has been brought under control, but the proportion of older patients injured in falls has risen. This change may slow the effort to improve mortality rates in patients with multiple injuries and it obliges us to introduce measures to prevent falls in the elderly.