Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Transthoracic cardioversion (TTC) is widely used in emergency departments and daily clinical practice. TTC may cause skin lesions on the application of apical and sternal paddle areas. The lesions are characterised by redness, erythema and blister(s), and can be defined as first degree burns locally causing pain and increased sensitivity. ⋯ Local cold application following TTC is an effective means of reducing the incidence and severity of burns and pain/sensitivity. It is cost-effective and can easily be applied by nurses in medical/surgical units and emergency departments.
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In The Netherlands there is no consensus about criteria for cancelling helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) dispatches. This study assessed the ability of the primary HEMS dispatch criteria to identify major trauma patients. The predictive power of other early prehospital parameters was evaluated to design a safe triage model for HEMS dispatch cancellations. ⋯ The accuracy of the current HEMS dispatch criteria is relatively low, resulting in high cancellation rates and low predictability for major trauma. The new HEMS cancellation triage model identified all major trauma patients with an acceptable overtriage and will probably reduce unjustified HEMS dispatches.
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To evaluate whether single-channel electroencephalography (EEG) recording can be conducted in the out-of-hospital setting and whether it can be used to record electrographic signs of convulsive epileptic seizures. ⋯ Single-channel EEG can be performed outside the hospital and yields useful recordings in most patients with acceptable rates of artefact. The diagnosis of generalised convulsive epileptic seizures by offline analysis of out-of-hospital EEG showed a high sensitivity and specificity when compared with the clinical diagnosis.