Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2021
Acute traumatic coagulopathy and the relationship to prehospital care and on-scene red blood cell transfusion.
To identify the incidence of acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) in trauma patients presenting to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, analyse prehospital contributors, including red blood cell transfusion and assess the clinical significance of ATC. ⋯ Prehospital blood transfusions are given to the most severely injured trauma patients and the incidence of ATC in this group is more than 80%. There is an association with prehospital blood transfusion and increased ATC in part related to patient selection and severity of trauma, with the contribution of red cell transfusions to ATC unclear. This association should allow earlier identification of patients at increased risk of ATC to ensure rapid correction of coagulopathy to decrease the morbidity and mortality of trauma.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2021
Protecting the health and safety of the paramedic workforce in Australia: The role of cohort studies with new recruits.
Research related to the paramedic workforce is increasing, particularly given the associations with physical and mental health outcomes. However, it is clear that the evidence base to support future paramedic workforce initiatives lacks longitudinal data in cohorts of paramedics. We identify gaps in the epidemiological evidence base for this workforce, and provide insight into the role that prospective cohorts can, and should, play in future research in the paramedic workforce in order to identify health and safety changes over time, and the associations with job requirements, particularly shift work.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2021
Are we overlooking the rural patient journey when it comes to sepsis diagnosis and management?
Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines have progressively moved towards faster time-based treatment targets over recent years despite international data consistently showing low protocol adherence. A key stakeholder in Australian healthcare remains overlooked in sepsis research: the under-resourced rural ED. ⋯ Greater representation of rural patients and EDs in Australian sepsis research is paramount in guiding future sepsis treatment protocols. This perspective piece explores current international sepsis literature, recognising significant barriers to sepsis protocol adherence specific to rural Australian EDs.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2021
Impact of the modifiable areal unit problem in assessing determinants of emergency department demand.
To examine the impact of the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP) in an investigation of factors associated with ED demand in Perth, Western Australia, in 2016. Furthermore, to advocate a means of avoiding this impact. ⋯ When formulating interventions targeting reduced ED utilisation, policy planners should be guided by evidence based on analysis of appropriate spatial units. This ideal is undermined by the widespread lack of acknowledgement of the MAUP in studies examining drivers of ED demand using spatially aggregated data. To avoid the MAUP, only estimates obtained through examining a minimal geographic unit should be relied upon.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2021
Regional anaesthesia for rib fractures: A pilot study of serratus anterior plane block.
Rib fractures are not only painful but are associated with morbidity and mortality, especially in older patients. The serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) is a plane block distant from major neurovascular bundles and may provide anaesthesia to a substantial area of the hemithorax. This pilot study was designed to assess if the SAPB can be safely and efficiently incorporated to the trauma reception workflow of an adult, level 1 trauma centre. ⋯ The present study demonstrated the feasibility of ultrasound-guided SAPB among patients with multiple rib fractures in the ED. No complications were observed. Further prospective evaluation of analgesic effects in a larger cohort is indicated.