The American journal of emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
LUCAS compared to manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation is more effective during helicopter rescue-a prospective, randomized, cross-over manikin study.
High-quality chest-compressions are of paramount importance for survival and good neurological outcome after cardiac arrest. However, even healthcare professionals have difficulty performing effective chest-compressions, and quality may be further reduced during transport. We compared a mechanical chest-compression device (Lund University Cardiac Assist System [LUCAS]; Jolife, Lund, Sweden) and manual chest-compressions in a simulated cardiopulmonary resuscitation scenario during helicopter rescue. ⋯ During this simulated cardiac arrest scenario in helicopter rescue LUCAS compared to manual chest-compressions increased CPR quality and reduced hands-off time, but prolonged the time interval to the first defibrillation. Further clinical trials are warranted to confirm potential benefits of LUCAS CPR in helicopter rescue.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Defibrillator charging before rhythm analysis significantly reduces hands-off time during resuscitation: a simulation study.
Our objective was to reduce hands-off time during cardiopulmonary resuscitation as increased hands-off time leads to higher mortality. ⋯ In a simulation setting, we demonstrated that charging of the defibrillator before rhythm analysis significantly reduced hands-off time compared with the ERC 2005 and ERC 2010 guidelines.
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Wildland fires have significant ecologic and economic impact in the United States. Despite the number of firefighters involved in controlling them, little is known about the injuries that they sustain. We hypothesized that the mechanism of injury would predict injury characteristics and severity of fire-related injuries. ⋯ This study contributes important knowledge for implementing evidence-based injury prevention programs, for planning emergency medical responses on fire incidents and for provoking further inquiry into occupational risk factors affecting this high-risk occupational group.