Articles: emergency-medical-services.
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(1) Emergency thoracotomy can be a lifesaving procedure in critically injured patients who present with no detectable pulse or blood pressure. (2) Emergency thoracotomy is nonproductive if cardiac electrical activity is absent. (3) Best results are achieved in patients with chest injuries and the worst results in those with isolated blunt abdominal injury. (4) Survival was better if patient was taken directly to the operating room with ongoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. (5) Prehospital airway control, volume resuscitation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation play a significant role in improving the outcome in traumatized patients who undergo emergency thoracotomy.
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Prehospital and interhospital emergency care is moving from the ground to the air, with the realization that such a move will further reduce the morbidity and mortality of the critically ill or injured patient. This move is not without inherent risks, for altitude and take-off further compromise the critical patient. To preclude this risk and improve air ambulance services, Indiana is adopting rules and regulations to govern the operation and administration of air ambulance services. Indiana is the first state to adopt air ambulance standards, although other agencies have established or are attempting to establish similar guidelines.