Scand J Trauma Resus
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2010
A first city-wide early defibrillation project in a German city: 5-year results of the Bochum against sudden cardiac arrest study.
Immediate defibrillation is the decisive determinant of prognosis in patients suffering from cardiac/circulatory arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation (VF). Therefore, various national and international associations recommend that first responders use defibrillators as soon as possible and also recommend public access to early defibrillation programmes. Here we report the results of the first city-wide early defibrillation project in a large German urban area. ⋯ Consistent with other reports, our findings show that the organisation of a city-wide initiative by a project office combining public access and first-responder defibrillation programmes can be safe, feasible and successful. Our experiences confirm that strategic planning of AED placement is a prerequisite for successful, cost-effective resuscitation.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2010
Ultrasound confirmation of guidewire position may eliminate accidental arterial dilatation during central venous cannulation.
Ultrasound guidance during central line insertion has significantly reduced complications associated with this procedure and has led to it being incorporated as standard of care in many institutions. However, inadvertent arterial penetration and dilation remains a problem despite ultrasound guidance and can result in significant morbidity and even mortality. Dynamic ultrasound confirmation of guidewire position within the vein prior to dilation may help to prevent and even eliminate this feared complication. ⋯ Ultrasound confirmation of guidewire position has the potential to reduce or eliminate the morbidity and mortality of arterial dilation during central line placement.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2010
Blood product ratio in acute traumatic coagulopathy--effect on mortality in a Scandinavian level 1 trauma centre.
Trauma is the leading cause of loss of life expectancy worldwide. In the most seriously injured patients, coagulopathy is often present on admission. Therefore, transfusion strategies to increase the ratio of plasma (FFP) and platelets (PLT) to red blood cells (RBC), simulating whole blood, have been introduced. Several studies report that higher ratios improve survival in massively bleeding patients. Here, the aim was to investigate the potential effect of increased FFP and PLT to RBC on mortality in trauma patients. ⋯ Aggressive administration of FFP and PLT did not influence mortality in the present trauma population.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2010
Time needed to achieve completeness and accuracy in bedside lung ultrasound reporting in intensive care unit.
The use of lung ultrasound (LUS) in ICU is increasing but ultrasonographic patterns of lung are often difficult to quantify by different operators. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and quality of LUS reporting after the introduction of a standardized electronic recording sheet. ⋯ The uniformity in teaching programme and examinations reporting system permits to improve the level of completeness and accuracy of LUS reporting, helping physicians in following lung pathology evolution.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2010
EditorialMicrofinance as a method of facilitating research in emergency medicine.
Microgrants are a novel concept where small grants are used to facilitate research. The concept might have a place in developing emergency medicine research, especially in countries where emergency medicine is not established or in new areas of research. Two examples of the beneficial effects of microgrants in emergency medicine research are described. Emergency medicine interest groups and foundations should consider setting up microgrant schemes.