New York state journal of medicine
-
Four hundred sixty-three cases of cardiac arrest treated in the pre-hospital setting by advanced life support (ALS) or paramedic units in Monroe County, New York, were evaluated using Eisenberg's criteria, which define factors known to be critical for successful resuscitation. Forty-eight patients met the criteria of witnessed collapse and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) within four minutes and ALS within ten minutes, with the initial rhythm of ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Of these, 16 (33%) patients were discharged from the hospital. ⋯ Of the 171 patients who suffered witnessed arrests of cardiac origin, 20 survived to be discharged. This represents a successful resuscitation rate of 12%. These percentages are within the range noted for other ALS services in the United States.
-
We conducted a national survey of medical schools to determine the frequency of the awarding of honors to third-year clinical clerks and fourth-year subinterns in internal medicine. Of 126 schools surveyed, 86.5% responded. Of those responding, 66% award honors to their junior clerks and 47% award honors to their fourth-year students rotating on the internal medicine service. ⋯ The attainment of honors is an important criterion for residency selection as well as a positive predictor of future performance of candidates. The writing of the dean's letter, residency selection, and the date of the National Residency Matching Program results announcement are now occurring later in the academic year than previously, thus making the results of the fourth-year medicine rotations available to residency selection committees by the time choices have to be made. We conclude, therefore, that it seems useful for all medical schools to award honors not only to third-year clerks but also to senior students.