European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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The prevalence of obesity is rising worldwide. To investigate how fixed-wing air ambulances handle bariatric transfers, we conducted a survey addressing logistical and medical issues. A questionnaire was sent to 24 air ambulance companies in Europe. ⋯ Dedicated tools for transferring, bedding, and securing patients are available very inconsistently. Medical provisions such as airway management, monitoring, and vascular access for the obese reach high standards. While medical resources for obesity-related problems reach a high standard, poor logistical preparations could lead to harm for patient and medical escort alike.
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Previous studies have reported that civilian transport is a mortality risk factor in low-resource communities. Few studies have analyzed the chief complaints associated with mortality involving civilian transport after an earthquake.Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine whether mortality resulting from medical professional transport differs from that involving civilian transport, and if so, the chief complaints associated with mortality involving civilian transport after the Wen-chuan earthquake. ⋯ Altered mental status, trunk injury, and shortness of breath were the significant chief complaints associated with mortality involving civilian transport to the hospital after the Wen-chuan earthquake. Our data suggest that patients with any of these complaints should be transported by medical professionals, not civilians, to the nearest hospital for treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Emergency airway management by paramedics: comparison between standard endotracheal intubation, laryngeal mask airway, and I-gel.
The aim of this study was to investigate whether briefly trained paramedics would be able to successfully intubate by endotracheal intubation (ETI) and using the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) and the I-gel in a manikin model. After the completion of a questionnaire, a brief educational session, and presentation of ETI, LMA, and I-gel, 72 paramedics were randomly allocated to intubate an adult manikin. ⋯ In addition, the mean insertion time values were significantly affected by the accuracy of the answers to the theoretical questions (P<0.05 for all questions). Paramedics should lay greater emphasis on airway management using supraglottic devices, especially I-gel because of its shorter time of insertion.
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Clinical Trial
Prehospital intranasal evaporative cooling for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a pilot, feasibility study.
Intranasal evaporative cooling presents a novel means of initiating therapeutic hypothermia after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Few studies have evaluated the use of intranasal therapeutic hypothermia using the Rhinochill device in the prehospital setting. We sought to evaluate the use of Rhinochill in the Physician Response Unit of London's Air Ambulance, aiming to describe the feasibility of employing it during prehospital resuscitation for OHCA. ⋯ Intranasal evaporative cooling using the Rhinochill system is feasible in an urban, prehospital, doctor/paramedic response unit. Cooling with Rhinochill was not found to interfere with prehospital resuscitation and resulted in significant core body temperature reduction. Further research on the potential benefit of intra-arrest and early initiation of intranasal evaporative cooling is warranted.
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It is known that visual estimation of blood loss is inaccurate independently from experience and qualification of rescuers or members of hospital staff. There is no information available about the size of a puddle of blood for a given amount of blood depending on the surface. This pilot study evaluated the size of blood puddles on various surfaces. ⋯ The size of puddles of blood depended strongly on the type of surface. Up to 13 times larger blood puddles were found on hard and nonabsorbant surfaces (PVC, concrete) than on absorbant surfaces such as carpet or forest soil.