Articles: advanced-cardiac-life-support-standards.
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Case Reports Comparative Study
Comparison of termination-of-resuscitation guidelines for basic life support: defibrillator providers in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Termination of resuscitation in the field for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest can reduce unnecessary transport to hospital and associated road hazards and increase availability of emergency medical services (EMS) and emergency department resources for other patients. We compare the performance of 3 termination-of-resuscitation guidelines for basic life support-defibrillator (BLS) providers when applied to cardiac arrest patients in the Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support study. ⋯ We found all 3 termination-of-resuscitation rules to have high sensitivity and negative predictive value. However, the specificity and transport rates varied greatly. The results of this study will be useful for EMS providers considering adoption of termination of resuscitation in BLS defibrillator systems for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
To lead or not to lead? Prospective controlled study of emergency nurses' provision of advanced life support team leadership.
In many emergency departments advanced life support (ALS) trained nurses do not assume a lead role in advanced resuscitation. This study investigated whether emergency nurses with previous ALS training provided good team leadership in a simulated cardiac arrest situation. ⋯ ALS trained nurses performed as well as ALS trained and non ALS trained emergency SHOs in a simulated cardiac arrest situation and had greater awareness of the potentially reversible causes of cardiac arrest. Thus if a senior or middle grade doctor is not available to lead the resuscitation team, it may be appropriate for experienced nursing staff with ALS training to act as ALS team leaders rather than SHOs.
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Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Mar 2005
ReviewUpdate on pediatric advanced life support guidelines.
Accidents are a leading cause of death for children in several nations. Motor vehicle accidents are among the most common causes of cardiac arrest. Other causes include drowning, burns, gunshot wounds, poisoning, smoke inhalation, and airway obstruction caused by asphyxiation from foreign bodies. ⋯ To prevent loss and improve quality of life, it is imperative to initiate measures to improve oxygenation and treat cardiac dysfunction. Guidelines for the management of life-threatening emergencies in infants and children are internationally similar but not identical. The Australian Resuscitation Council, the American Heart Association, and the European Resuscitation Council current guidelines all have some basic essential techniques for management of pediatric emergencies.