European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Weaker compressions after night shift? The WeCAN manikin study.
To assess whether the quality of chest compressions (CC) differs before and after a night shift. We carried out a cluster randomized study in three Emergency Departments and three ICUs in Paris, France. Physicians were assessed on a control day and immediately following after a night shift. ⋯ The proportion of CC with a depth greater than 50 mm was similar on a control day and after a night shift [52% in both groups, mean difference of 0 (95% confidence interval: -17 to 17)]. Other indicators of CC quality were unchanged after a night shift, except for the mean depth of CC (51 vs. 48 mm, P=0.01). We report in our sample that the quality of CC after a night shift is not inferior to a control day.
-
Multicenter Study
Agreement between ambulance and hospital records for information promoting urgent stroke treatment decisions.
Rapid decision-making during acute stroke care can improve outcomes. We wished to assess whether crucial information to facilitate decisions is routinely collected by emergency practitioners before hospital admission. ⋯ In a retrospective cohort of stroke patients admitted by emergency ambulance, standard practice did not consistently result in prehospital documentation of information that could promote rapid treatment decisions. Training emergency practitioners and/or providing clinical protocols could facilitate early stroke treatment decisions, but prehospital information availability is likely to be a limiting factor.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Observational Study
Bedside lung ultrasound for monitoring the effectiveness of prehospital treatment with continuous positive airway pressure in acute decompensated heart failure.
The aim of this pilot study was to determine the usefulness of prehospital lung ultrasound in monitoring the effectiveness of treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) versus standard therapy in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). ⋯ Bedside lung ultrasound is a reliable monitoring tool in a prehospital emergency setting and findings from lung ultrasound scans correspond with improved hemodynamic parameters in patients with ADHF treated with CPAP compared with standard therapy only.
-
Needlestick and 'sharps' injuries among those working with animals are a significant, under-reported and often ill-understood problem. Many patients present initially to Emergency Departments, where their potential to cause local and systemic infections and injury, zoonoses, allergic or anaphylactic reactions and death may be unrecognized. Increased awareness of the possibility of adverse effects and the consequences of these specific injuries is essential.