Journal of accident & emergency medicine
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To define the use of paediatric advanced life support by the Leicestershire Ambulance and Paramedic Service (LAPS) and the A&E department of a large university teaching hospital; and to identify the outcome and determine the factors that are consistent with a successful outcome. ⋯ The outcome for established prehospital paediatric cardiac arrest, in a well defined emergency medical services system, is very poor at present. It does not seem to be affected by the institution of paediatric life support teaching programmes for hospital staff alone. The timing in instituting advanced life support measures remains the most critical factor affecting outcome in these patients.
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Comparative Study
Can the full range of paramedic skills improve survival from out of hospital cardiac arrests?
To examine the effect of full implementation of advanced skills by ambulance personnel on the outcome from out of hospital cardiac arrest. ⋯ No improvement in survival was demonstrated with more advanced prehospital care.
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To test the hypothesis that limited paramedic advanced life support skills afford no advantage in survival from cardiac arrest when compared with non-paramedic ambulance crews equipped with defibrillators in an urban environment; and to investigate whether separate response units delayed on scene times. ⋯ The interventions of greatest benefit in out of hospital cardiac arrest are basic life support and defibrillation. Additional skills are of questionable benefit and may detract from those of greatest benefit.
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Comparative Study
The misdiagnosis severity score and doctors' perception of the severity of diagnostic errors.
To test the previously described misdiagnosis severity score (MSS) by comparing it with doctors' perceptions of the severity of diagnostic errors. ⋯ It is reasonable to use the MSS as a measure of the severity of diagnostic errors.