Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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Studies from Australia, Sweden, the United States, and elsewhere have found that paramedics experience violence in the emergency medical services (EMS) workplace. The objective of this study was to describe and explore violence experienced by paramedics in the ground ambulance setting, including types of violence experienced, by whom the violence was perpetrated, actions taken by paramedics, and effects of these episodes. ⋯ The majority of Canadian paramedics surveyed experience violence in the workplace, which can lead to serious personal and professional sequellae. Strategies should be devised and studied to reduce violent events toward paramedics and to mitigate the impact such events have on the wellbeing of paramedics.
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We present a case of failed prehospital treatment of fentanyl induced apnea with intranasal (IN) naloxone. While IN administration of naloxone is becoming more common in both lay and pre-hospital settings, older EMS protocols utilized intravenous (IV) administration. ⋯ In order to contribute to our understanding of the strengths and limitations of IN administration of naloxone, we present a case where it failed to restore ventilation. We also describe peer reviewed literature that supports the use of IV naloxone following heroin overdose and explore possible limitations of generalizing this literature to opioids other than heroin and to IN routes of administration.
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Chronically homeless adults with severe alcohol problems are disproportionately burdened with health-care problems and are high utilizers of emergency medical services (EMS). Single-site Housing First (HF), which provides immediate, permanent, low-barrier, nonabstinence-based, supportive housing, has been associated with reduced publicly funded service utilization. The aims of the current study were to determine whether time spent in single-site HF predicted decreases in EMS contacts 2 years subsequent to single-site HF move-in, and to describe medical conditions and injuries associated with EMS contacts in a sample of chronically homeless individuals with severe alcohol problems. ⋯ Our findings support recent assertions that housing is health care and indicate that the amount of time spent in single-site HF is associated with significant reductions in EMS utilization for at least 2 years subsequent to move-in. These findings also underscore the high levels of medical illness and trauma exposure among chronically homeless adults with severe alcohol problems.
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Prehospital selective cervical spine immobilization (CSI) is a relatively new concept. In our emergency medical services (EMS) system, protocols for selective CSI are widely used; yet, some patients who are brought to the hospital without CSI undergo secondary immobilization and cervical spine imaging in the emergency department (ED). Immobilization in the ED, after a decision not to immobilize by EMS, suggests that either the prehospital assessment is not trusted or the patient has developed new symptoms over time. We undertook a quality assurance initiative to evaluate whether trauma patients brought to the ED without CSI, who then underwent secondary CSI and imaging in the ED, had injuries that were initially missed by EMS selective CSI protocol. ⋯ In this retrospective quality assurance initiative, none of 101 patients who underwent secondary CSI and imaging in the ED had a missed acute cervical injury. No patients had any adverse effects or required treatment, yet these patients incurred substantial costs and increased radiation exposure. While our results suggest hospital personnel should have confidence in prehospital decisions regarding CSI, continued surveillance and a large-scale, prospective study are needed to confirm our findings.
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Comparative Study
Evaluation of Extremity Tissue and Bone Injury after Intraosseous Hypertonic Saline Infusion in Proximal Tibia and Proximal Humerus in Adult Swine.
Hypertonic saline (HTS) has been reported as a treatment for sever traumatic brain injury and hemorrhagic shock and current clinical guidelines recommend it. Intraosseous (IO) infusion is often needed in the pre-hospital and combat settings to administer life-saving treatments. However, the safety of IO HTS infusion is not clear. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical and histological outcome of HTS IO infusion into the extremity of a large animal model. ⋯ We observed regular tissue morphology and normal gait scores over the 5 day observation period. There was an absence of gross tissue necrosis and microscopic ischemia post IO HTS infusion in this swine model. This data confirms the clinical safety of IO HTS infusion and highlights its use as an alternative lifesaving treatment.