Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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The aim of this study was to develop and critically appraise a global rating scale (GRS) for the assessment of individual paramedic clinical competence at the entry-to-practice level. ⋯ The results of this study provide evidence that the scores generated using this scale can be valid for the purpose of making decisions regarding paramedic clinical competence.
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While self-mutilations with stab wounds are relatively common in psychiatric patients suffering from schizophrenia and personality disorders, they are rarely performed as suicidal attempts. Even in psychotic patients, suicidal stab wounds of the skull are rare in the literature. We report the case of a 34-year-old schizophrenic man whom emergency medical services (EMS) providers cared for at his home because of a complete self-amputation of his right hand, without any other apparent wound than a facial laceration. ⋯ When his neurologic status rapidly declined after hospital admission, a whole-body computed tomography (CT) scan was performed for other injuries. Unexpectedly, cerebral CT scan showed the presence of an intracranial 11-cm-long blade, whose distal tip was located in the left temporal cerebral lobe. Given the nature of the cerebral injuries on CT scan and the major impairment of the neurologic status of the patient, the neurosurgeon considered surgical extraction of the blade to be futile, and the patient's condition rapidly deteriorated to brain death.
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Swift assessment of patients presenting with chest pain results in faster treatment and improved outcomes. Allowing ambulance crews to use point-of-care (POC) devices to measure cardiac troponin I levels during transport of patients to the emergency department (ED) may result in earlier diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, particularly in those patients without ST-segment elevation. The ability of POC devices to measure cardiac troponin I levels reliably in a moving ambulance has not previously been tested. Objective. This study was conducted to determine whether POC devices operated in a moving ambulance reliably duplicate the measurement of cardiac troponin I levels obtained by POC devices in the ED. ⋯ When used in a moving ambulance, the POC device provided results of cardiac troponin I assays that were highly correlated to the results when the device was used in the ED. The feasibility, practicality, and clinical utility of prehospital use of POC devices must still be assessed. Key words: point-of-care systems; prehospital emergency care; troponin; reliability of results; ambulances; myocardial infarction; chest pain.
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To employ a battery of previously validated surveys and neuropsychological tests to compare changes in fatigue and cognitive abilities of air medical providers after 12- and 24-hour shifts. ⋯ This study identified no changes in cognitive performance following 12- and 24-hour shifts in air medical providers. This suggests that 24-hour shifts in an air medical service with low to moderate utilization do not have a detrimental effect on cognition as measured by this test battery, and are comparable to 12-hour shifts in terms of impact on cognitive function.
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Epinephrine and vasopressin are the only vasopressors associated with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). While current guidelines recommend rapid and frequent vasopressor administration during cardiac arrest, delays in their administration in the out-of- hospital setting remain a concern. ⋯ The interval between scene arrival and first administration of vasopressors is significantly shorter among patients who experience ROSC compared with those who do not. Airway control procedures delay vasopressor administration and reduce the likelihood of ROSC. Although the interdosing intervals of most patients were not consistent with current recommendations, there was no difference in the mean interdosing times between those who achieved ROSC and those who did not.