Resuscitation
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Letter Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Reference: Contamination of ambulance staff using the laryngeal mask airway supreme (LMAS) during cardiac arrest.
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The quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is important to survival after cardiac arrest. Mechanical devices (MD) provide constant CPR, but their effectiveness may be affected by deployment timeliness. ⋯ Rescuers spent a significant amount of time on MD deployment, leading to long no-flow times. Lack of familiarity with the device and positioning strategy were associated with poor performance. Additional training in device deployment strategies are required to improve the benefits of mechanical CPR.
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Comparative Study
Assessment of risk factors for post-rewarming "rebound hyperthermia" in cardiac arrest patients undergoing therapeutic hypothermia.
The outcomes associated with therapeutic hypothermia (TH) after cardiac arrest, while overwhelmingly positive, may be associated with adverse events. The incidence of post-rewarming rebound hyperthermia (RH) has been relatively unstudied and may worsen survival and neurologic outcome. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and risk factors associated with RH as well as its relationship to mortality, neurologic morbidity, and hospital length of stay (LOS). ⋯ While no potential risk factors for RH were identified, RH is a marker for increased mortality and worsened neurologic morbidity in cardiac arrest patients who have underwent TH.
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Regular assessments are recommended to identify individuals requiring additional resuscitation training. We developed a strategy of short CPR self-learning sessions followed by automated assessment with feedback and investigated its efficiency to achieve a pre-defined level of compression skills. ⋯ One or multiple short self-learning sessions were highly efficient to successfully train 99% of participants. After five months, retention of compression depth and complete release was very high. However, only 48% still achieved a 70% combined score for compression skills, highlighting the importance of regular assessment and retraining.
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Letter Review Case Reports
Re-usage of external pacing electrodes results in skin burns.