Scand J Trauma Resus
-
Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2015
LetterAirplane transport isolators may loose leak tightness after rapid cabin decompression.
Air medical transport of patients suffering of highly infectious diseases is typically performed employing portable isolation chambers. Although the likelihood of decompression flight emergencies is low, sustainability of the devices used is crucial. When a standard isolation unit was subjected to an explosive cabin decompression of 493 hPa, simulating a 32808 ft flight level accident, leak tightness of the unit was lost due to rupture of the bag caused by over expansion. When the pressure chamber experiment was repeated with a modified unit, distension was minimized by an additional compensation air bag, thus ensuring leak tightness.
-
Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2015
A mobile minimally invasive interventional shelter: a new answer to on-spot emergency treatment of large arterial injuries?
Severely destructive disasters can often lead to heavy casualties. Large arterial injury in disasters, particularly, often results in high mortality and morbidity. Although minimally invasive intervention has achieved positive effects in diagnosing and treating vascular injuries, it is still unavailable at the disaster area of any country due to lack of on-spot catheterization labs. This study aimed to test the feasibility of adopting interventional techniques to treat haemorrhage of large arterial injuries in remote and austere wild environments after severely destructive disasters, by using a new mobile intervention suite we developed--the mobile minimally invasive interventional shelter (MIS). ⋯ It is feasible to perform interventional operations to control haemorrhage of large arterial injuries in MIS outside hospital. The MIS has a great potential to save patients from dying of hemorrhagic shock due to lack of effective treatment devices and approaches in remote and austere wild environments, such as in disaster areas.
-
Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2015
LetterImplementation of the ABL-90 blood gas analyzer in a ground-based mobile emergency care unit.
Point-of Care analysis is increasingly being applied in the prehospital scene. Arterial blood gas analysis is one of many new initiatives adding to the diagnostic tools of the prehospital physician. In this paper we present a study on the feasibility of the Radiometer ABL-90 in a ground-based Mobile Emergency Care Unit and report on some clinical situations in which the apparatus has proven beneficial.
-
Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2015
Review Meta AnalysisIs the supine position associated with loss of airway patency in unconscious trauma patients? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Airway compromise is a leading cause of death in unconscious trauma patients. Although endotracheal intubation is regarded as the gold standard treatment, most prehospital providers are not trained to perform ETI in such patients. Therefore, various lateral positions are advocated for unconscious patients, but their use remains controversial in trauma patients. We conducted a systematic review to investigate whether the supine position is associated with loss of airway patency compared to the lateral position. ⋯ Although concerns other than airway patency may influence how a trauma patient is positioned, our systematic review provides evidence supporting the long held recommendation that unconscious trauma patients should be placed in a lateral position.
-
Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2015
Review Case ReportsTension gastrothorax: acute life-threatening manifestation of late onset congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in children.
Tension gastrothorax in children is a life-threatening condition and presents dramatically with acute and severe respiratory distress. It develops when an intra-thoracic stomach herniated through a diaphragmatic defect is massively distended by trapped air and/or fluid causing mediastinal displacement. ⋯ We present a child with tension gastrothorax and a literature review of this phenomenon. Immediate clinical and radiographic evaluation should lead to accurate diagnosis followed by emergency decompression of the stomach before laparotomy with reduction of herniated viscera and repair of the diaphragmatic defect.