Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A randomized, controlled comparison of cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed on the floor and on a moving ambulance stretcher.
Recent studies have demonstrated that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) of poor quality is associated with worsened outcomes. ⋯ Chest compression and ventilation quality of CPR performed on the floor was superior to that of CPR performed on a moving stretcher in this manikin model. The quality of CPR while moving was significantly compromised.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness of self-applied tourniquets in human volunteers.
Tourniquets are not commonly used in routine extremity trauma, but can be vital for hemorrhage control in austere conditions. ⋯ Some commercially available tourniquets do not reliably occlude arterial blood flow and may not be successful in preventing extremity exsanguination in a trauma patient. Potential purchasers of such devices should bear this in mind when selecting a device for clinical use.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
The effect of a voice assist manikin (VAM) system on CPR quality among prehospital providers.
Numerous studies have documented poor cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance among prehospital providers during both simulated and actual resuscitations. Previous studies have shown that a real-time, voice assist manikin (VAM) system may improve CPR performance. ⋯ Use of VAM did not directly improve compression or ventilation rate or quality in this cohort of prehospital providers. However, use of VAM did prevent decay of compression and ventilation performance over time.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Ability of laypersons to use the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale.
Early stroke recognition optimizes patients' opportunities to benefit from therapeutic options. Prehospital stroke recognition is suboptimal. If 9-1-1 dispatchers used stroke-identification tools, prehospital stroke recognition might occur more rapidly and accurately. The Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS) is a brief, effective tool used by emergency medical services and hospital personnel to identify stroke. The study's goal was to determine whether laypersons could be instructed to use the CPSS over the telephone. ⋯ Laypersons correctly administered and interpreted the CPSS when directed to do so over the telephone by a trained investigator. These findings suggest that the CPSS may be a useful tool in early prehospital detection of stroke by dispatchers.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A laboratory comparison of emergency percutaneous and surgical cricothyrotomy by prehospital personnel.
To compare the speeds and success rates of placement for percutaneous cricothyrotomy versus surgical or open cricothyrotomy. ⋯ In an animal model, surgical cricothyrotomy appeared to be a preferable method for establishing a definitive airway over the percutaneous method. Further research is required to define the optimal approach in the prehospital setting for the invasive airway.