Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2012
ReviewReview article: Part one: Goal-directed resuscitation--which goals? Haemodynamic targets.
The use of appropriate resuscitation targets or end-points may facilitate early detection and appropriate management of shock. There is a fine balance between oxygen delivery and consumption, and when this is perturbed, an oxygen debt is generated. In this narrative review, we explore the value of global haemodynamic resuscitation end-points, including pulse rate, blood pressure, central venous pressure and mixed/central venous oxygen saturations. The evidence supporting the reliability of these parameters as end-points for guiding resuscitation and their potential limitations are evaluated.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2012
ReviewReview article: Crisis resource management in emergency medicine.
Effective team management is a core element of expert practice in emergency medicine. Thus far, training in emergency medicine has focussed predominantly on proficiency in medical and technical skills, with emergency physicians acquiring these 'non-technical' skills in an ad hoc manner or by trial and error with varying levels of success. ⋯ They address areas, such as communication, leadership, knowledge of environment, anticipation and planning, obtaining timely assistance, attention allocation and workload distribution. We outline the application of these behaviours in the speciality of emergency medicine, and suggest that the teaching and practice of crisis resource management principles should become part of the curriculum for training and credentialing of emergency medicine specialists.