Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Comparative Study
Treatment of out-of-hospital supraventricular tachycardia: adenosine vs verapamil.
To compare the use of adenosine and the use of verapamil as out-of-hospital therapy for supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). ⋯ Adenosine and verapamil were equally successful in converting out-of-hospital SVT in patients with similar etiologies responsible for the SVT. Recurrence of SVT occurred at similar rates for the 2 medications. Rhythm misidentification remains a common issue in out-of-hospital cardiac care in this emergency medical services system.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The efficacy of a standard training program for transillumination-guided endotracheal intubation.
To evaluate the success rate, intubation time, and complication rate of transillumination-guided intubation following two hours of instruction in the use of the Trachlight (TL) device. ⋯ A two-hour training session, including five successful light-guided intubations using the TL, was inadequate for producing acceptable success rates during manikin intubations by paramedic students. While TL intubation intervals were shorter when successful, the 2.2-second difference was not clinically meaningful. The incidence of trauma in our manikin model during TL intubations was significantly lower than that with DL.
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Comparative Study
Association of training level and short-term cosmetic appearance of repaired lacerations.
To determine the association between emergency practitioner level of training and cosmetic appearance of primarily closed wounds as evaluated at the time of suture removal. ⋯ Significant improvement in short-term cosmetic results following wound repair is associated with a training level beyond PGY1. These data reinforce the need for careful patient selection and close supervision of wound repair by trainees, especially of wound repair by medical students and interns.
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Multicenter Study
Level I trauma certification and emergency medicine resident major trauma experience.
American College of Surgeons (ACS) and Residency Review Committee for Emergency Medicine (RRC-EM) guidelines conflict regarding the role of emergency physicians in directing major trauma resuscitations. This article describes the impact of ACS level I trauma certification on emergency medicine (EM) resident trauma experience. ⋯ EM residents direct a smaller percentage of major trauma resuscitations at ACS level I hospitals than they do at non-level I facilities. This finding is not offset by an increased trauma census at level I facilities and may be more pronounced in the Northeast and the Midwest.