The American journal of emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of bed width on the quality of compressions in simulated resuscitation: a randomized crossover manikin study.
To investigate the effects of bed width on the quality of chest compressions during simulated in-hospital resuscitation. ⋯ When rescuers performed chest compressions on an emergency stretcher, chest compression quality increased, and the fatigue of rescuers decreased compared with a standard hospital bed. Therefore, we propose a narrow bed for critically ill inpatients with high risk of cardiac arrest.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Is retrograde intubation more successful than direct laryngoscopic technique in difficult endotracheal intubation?
Difficult airway intubation is an emergency condition both at the emergency department (ED) and in out-of-hospital situations. Retrograde intubation (RI) is another option for difficult airway management. There are limited data regarding the successful rate of RI compared with direct laryngoscopy (DL) intubation, the commonly used method in the ED. ⋯ The RI technique had a higher success rate in difficult airway intubation than the DL technique, regardless of experience.
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Letter Randomized Controlled Trial
Are firefighters able to perform blind endotracheal intubation via LMA Fastrach? An experimental study.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Utilization of a gum elastic bougie to facilitate single lung intubation.
Patients with severe pulmonary hemorrhage due to unilateral trauma or a bleeding cancer often present to the emergency department in acute respiratory distress. Although it is generally recommended to perform single lung intubation, most emergency department providers do not have access to or are not familiar with double-lumen endotracheal tubes, and blind insertion of an endotracheal tube to maximum depth does not ensure that the proper (nonhemorrhagic) lung is ventilated. Therefore, single lung intubation may be significantly delayed in these patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of using a gum elastic bougie ("bougie") to facilitate single lung intubation. ⋯ In our cadaveric model of mainstem intubation, bougie-guided single lung intubation was highly accurate for both left and right mainstem intubations. Future studies should assess the accuracy of this technique among different providers and bodies, as well as live patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Does practice make perfect? Prospectively comparing effects of 2 amounts of practice on tourniquet use performance.
Although a lifesaving skill, currently, there is no consensus for the required amount of practice in tourniquet use. We compared the effect of 2 amounts of practice on performance of tourniquet use by nonmedical personnel. ⋯ Three applications per monthly practice session were superior to one. This is the first prospective validation of a tourniquet practice program based on objective measurements.