Advanced life support in ambulances doesn't benefit trauma patientsApril 22, 2008New research from the Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support (OPALS) project shows there is no benefit - and perhaps harm - to providing advanced life support to patients with trauma injuries prior to transport to hospital. The third study from the OPALS project - likely the world's most important research into the care provided to patients before they reach hospital - evaluated outcomes of patients with major traumatic injuries before and after system-wide implementation of prehospital advanced life-support programs in 17 cities. The study found that, among the 1373 patients who received basic life support and the 1494 who received advanced life support subsequent to experiencing major trauma, there was no difference (81.1% vs. 81.8% respectively) in the rate of survival to hospital discharge. "Our findings support those who believe that definitive trauma care is best provided in the operating room and that prehospital interventions may be associated with increased complications or may delay transfer to hospital," write study authors Dr. Ian Stiell and colleagues. The authors conclude that emergency medical services should "carefully reevaluate the indications for and applications of prehospital advanced life-support measures for patients with major trauma. Canadian Medical Association Journal |
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| Related Advanced Life Support Current Events and Advanced Life Support News Articles Study findings help EMS respond to cardiac arrest emergencies more safely and efficiently When cardiac arrest patients cannot successfully be resuscitated by emergency medical services in the field, lifesaving attempts to race them to a nearby hospital via ambulance often prove to be futile. Mock CPR Staging mock cardiac and respiratory arrests - "code" situations in hospital parlance - easily expose common failures in rapid response with CPR and other life-saving care for children and also set up powerful incentives to sharpen emergency skills and move fast to use them, suggests a study from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. When a child's heart stops, onset time of abnormal rhythms is crucial Ventricular fibrillation, the life-threatening disordered heart rhythms that may accompany full cardiac arrest, occurs more frequently in children than commonly believed, according to a large national pediatric study. Course Answers Emergency Call For Paramedics Kingston University has joined forces with the London Ambulance Service to launch another strand of its Foundation Degree in Health and Medical Sciences. The programme's paramedic pathway is being delivered by the Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences, run jointly by the University and St George's Hospital Medical School, in conjunction with the ambulance service and Merton College. ESC Congress 2003: Hypothermia - good for both brain and heart? IMPORTANT: This press release accompanies both a presentation and an ESC press conference given at the ESC Congress 2003. Written by the investigator himself/herself, this press release does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Society of Cardiology ESC Congress 2003: Cold comfort - cough for your life Sudden death from cardiac arrest is a major health problem that still receives too little publicity. Current therapy after cardiac arrest concentrates on resuscitation efforts as until now no specific therapy for brain protection after restoration of spontaneous circulation was available. Therapeutic mild or moderate resuscitative hypothermia is a novel therapy with multifaceted Most doctors do not position resuscitation paddles correctly Most doctors do not position defibrillation paddles in accordance with European Resuscitation Council guidelines when attempting to resuscitate patients in cardiac arrest, finds a study in this week's BMJ. Deakin and colleagues recruited 101 doctors of all grades and specialities at Southampton General Hospital, who were unprepared and unaware of the nature of the study. They were shown an anatomically accurate male resuscitation manikin and were asked to perform defibrillation (administering an electric shock to restore a normal heartbeat) by placing two defibrillation pads (sternal and apical) on the chest wall, on to which were placed the corresponding paddles. The position of the centre More Advanced Life Support Current Events and Advanced Life Support News Articles |
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