Project description:BackgroundThe European Resuscitation Council (ERC) released new guidelines on resuscitation in 2015. For the first time, the guidelines included a separate chapter on first aid for laypersons. We analysed the current major Danish national first aid books to identify potential inconsistencies between the current books and the new evidence-based first aid guidelines.MethodsWe identified first aid books from all the first aid courses offered by major Danish suppliers. Based on the new ERC first aid guidelines, we developed a checklist of 26 items within 16 different categories to assess the content; this checklist was adapted following the principle of mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive questioning. To assess the agreement between four raters, Fleiss' kappa test was used. Items that did not reach an acceptable kappa score were excluded.ResultsWe evaluated 10 first aid books used for first aid courses and published between 2009 and 2015. The content of the books complied with the new in 38% of the answers. In 12 of the 26 items, there was less than 50% consistency. These items include proximal pressure points and elevation of extremities for the control of bleeding, use of cervical collars, treatment for an open chest wound, burn dressing, dental avulsion, passive leg raising, administration of bronchodilators, adrenaline, and aspirin.ConclusionsDanish course material showed significant inconsistencies with the new evidence-based first aid guidelines. The new knowledge from the evidence-based guidelines should be incorporated into revised and updated first aid course material.
Project description:Background and objectiveCardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with adequate chest compression depth appears to improve first shock success in cardiac arrest. We evaluate the effect of simplification of chest compression instructions on compression depth in dispatcher-assisted CPR protocol.MethodsData from two randomized, double-blinded, controlled trials with identical methodology were combined to obtain 332 records for this analysis. Subjects were randomized to either modified Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) v11.2 protocol or a new simplified protocol. The main difference between the protocols was the instruction to "push as hard as you can" in the simplified protocol, compared to "push down firmly 2in. (5cm)" in MPDS. Data were recorded via a Laerdal ResusciAnne SkillReporter manikin. Primary outcome measures included: chest compression depth, proportion of compressions without error, with adequate depth and with total release.ResultsInstructions to "push as hard as you can", compared to "push down firmly 2in. (5cm)", resulted in improved chest compression depth (36.4 mm vs. 29.7 mm, p<0.0001), and improved median proportion of chest compressions done to the correct depth (32% vs. <1%, p<0.0001). No significant difference in median proportion of compressions with total release (100% for both) and average compression rate (99.7 min(-1) vs. 97.5 min(-1), p<0.56) was found.ConclusionsModifying dispatcher-assisted CPR instructions by changing "push down firmly 2in. (5cm)" to "push as hard as you can" achieved improvement in chest compression depth at no cost to total release or average chest compression rate.
Project description:Chest pain is a common presenting complaint in the emergency department (ED). Despite the frequency with which clinicians evaluate patients with chest pain, accurately determining the risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and sharing risk information with patients is challenging. The aims of this study are (1) to develop a decision aid (CHEST PAIN CHOICE) that communicates the short-term risk of ACS and (2) to evaluate the impact of the decision aid on patient participation in decision-making and resource use.This is a protocol for a parallel, 2-arm randomized trial to compare an intervention group receiving CHEST PAIN CHOICE to a control group receiving usual ED care. Adults presenting to the Saint Mary's Hospital ED in Rochester, MN USA with a primary complaint of chest pain who are being considered for admission for prolonged ED observation in a specialized unit and urgent cardiac stress testing will be eligible for enrollment. We will measure the effect of CHEST PAIN CHOICE on six outcomes: (1) patient knowledge regarding their short-term risk for ACS and the risks of radiation exposure; (2) quality of the decision making process; (3) patient and clinician acceptability and satisfaction with the decision aid; (4) the proportion of patients who decided to undergo observation unit admission and urgent cardiac stress testing; (5) economic costs and healthcare utilization; and (6) the rate of delayed or missed ACS. To capture these outcomes, we will administer patient and clinician surveys after each visit, obtain video recordings of the clinical encounters, and conduct 30-day phone follow-up.This pilot randomized trial will develop and evaluate a decision aid for use in ED chest pain patients at low risk for ACS and provide a preliminary estimate of its effect on patient participation in decision-making and resource use.Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT01077037.
Project description:IntroductionIn the United States, emergency medical services (EMS) protocols vary widely across jurisdictions. We sought to develop evidence-based recommendations for the prehospital evaluation and treatment of chest pain of suspected cardiac origin and to compare these recommendations against the current protocols used by the 33 EMS agencies in the state of California.MethodsWe performed a literature review of the current evidence in the prehospital treatment of chest pain and augmented this review with guidelines from various national and international societies to create our evidence-based recommendations. We then compared the chest pain protocols of each of the 33 EMS agencies for consistency with these recommendations. The specific protocol components that we analyzed were use of supplemental oxygen, aspirin, nitrates, opiates, 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) regionalization systems, prehospital fibrinolysis and β-blockers.ResultsThe protocols varied widely in terms of medication and dosing choices, as well as listed contraindications to treatments. Every agency uses oxygen with 54% recommending titrated dosing. All agencies use aspirin (64% recommending 325 mg, 24% recommending 162 mg and 15% recommending either), as well as nitroglycerin and opiates (58% choosing morphine). Prehospital 12-Lead ECGs are used in 97% of agencies, and all but one agency has some form of regionalized care for their STEMI patients. No agency is currently employing prehospital fibrinolysis or β-blocker use.ConclusionProtocols for chest pain of suspected cardiac origin vary widely across California. The evidence-based recommendations that we present for the prehospital diagnosis and treatment of this condition may be useful for EMS medical directors tasked with creating and revising these protocols.
Project description:BackgroundGoal-directed ultrasound protocols have been developed to facilitate efficiency, throughput, and patient care. Hands-on instruction and training workshops have been shown to positively impact ultrasound training.ObjectivesWe describe a novel undifferentiated chest pain goal-directed ultrasound algorithm-focused education workshop for the purpose of enhancing emergency medicine resident training in ultrasound milestones competencies.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study performed at an academic medical center. A novel goal-directed ultrasound algorithm was developed and implemented as a model for teaching and learning the sonographic approach to a patient with undifferentiated chest pain. This algorithm was incorporated into all components of the 1-day workshop: asynchronous learning, didactic lecture, case-based learning, and hands-on stations. Performance comparisons were made between postgraduate year (PGY) levels.ResultsA total of 38 of the 40 (95%) residents who attended the event participated in the chest pain objective standardized clinical exam, and 26 of the 40 (65%) completed the entire questionnaire. The average number of ultrasounds performed by resident class year at the time of our study was as follows: 19 (standard deviation [SD]=19) PGY-1, 238 (SD=37) PGY-2, and 289 (SD=73) PGY-3. Performance on the knowledge-based questions improved between PGY-1 and PGY-3. The application of the novel algorithm was noted to be more prevalent among the PGY-1 class.ConclusionThe 1-day algorithm-based ultrasound educational workshop was an engaging learning technique at our institution.
Project description:Background:Computed tomography (CT)-derived fractional flow reserve (FFRCT) enables the non-invasive functional assessment of coronary artery stenosis. We evaluated the feasibility and potential clinical role of FFRCT in patients presenting to the emergency department with acute chest pain who underwent chest-pain CT (CPCT). Methods:For this retrospective IRB-approved study, we included 56 patients (median age: 62 years, 14 females) with acute chest pain who underwent CPCT and who had at least a mild (?25% diameter) coronary artery stenosis. CPCT was evaluated for the presence of acute plaque rupture and vulnerable plaque features. FFRCT measurements were performed using a machine learning-based software. We assessed the agreement between the results from FFRCT and patient outcome (including results from invasive catheter angiography and from any non-invasive cardiac imaging test, final clinical diagnosis and revascularization) for a follow-up of 3 months. Results:FFRCT was technically feasible in 38/56 patients (68%). Eleven of the 38 patients (29%) showed acute plaque rupture in CPCT; all of them underwent immediate coronary revascularization. Of the remaining 27 patients (71%), 16 patients showed vulnerable plaque features (59%), of whom 11 (69%) were diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and 10 (63%) underwent coronary revascularization. In patients with vulnerable plaque features in CPCT, FFRCT had an agreement with outcome in 12/16 patients (75%). In patients without vulnerable plaque features (n=11), one patient showed myocardial ischemia (9%). In these patients, FFRCT and patient outcome showed an agreement in 10/11 patients (91%). Conclusions:Our preliminary data show that FFRCT is feasible in patients with acute chest pain who undergo CPCT provided that image quality is sufficient. FFRCT has the potential to improve patient triage by reducing further downstream testing but appears of limited value in patients with CT signs of acute plaque rupture.
Project description:Chest pain is the second most common reason patients visit emergency departments (EDs) and often results in very low-risk patients being admitted for prolonged observation and advanced cardiac testing. Shared decision-making, including educating patients regarding their 45-day risk for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and management options, might safely decrease healthcare utilization.This is a protocol for a multicenter practical patient-level randomized trial to compare an intervention group receiving a decision aid, Chest Pain Choice (CPC), to a control group receiving usual care. Adults presenting to five geographically and ethnically diverse EDs who are being considered for admission for observation and advanced cardiac testing will be eligible for enrollment. We will measure the effect of CPC on (1) patient knowledge regarding their 45-day risk for ACS and the available management options (primary outcome); (2) patient engagement in the decision-making process; (3) the degree of conflict patients experience related to feeling uninformed (decisional conflict); (4) patient and clinician satisfaction with the decision made; (5) the rate of major adverse cardiac events at 30 days; (6) the proportion of patients admitted for advanced cardiac testing; and (7) healthcare utilization. To assess these outcomes, we will administer patient and clinician surveys immediately after each clinical encounter, obtain video recordings of the patient-clinician discussion, administer a patient healthcare utilization diary, analyze hospital billing records, review the electronic medical record, and conduct telephone follow-up.This multicenter trial will robustly assess the effectiveness of a decision aid on patient-centered outcomes, safety, and healthcare utilization in low-risk chest pain patients from a variety of geographically and ethnically diverse EDs.NCT01969240.
Project description:MethodsPatients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) were prospectively registered in Taichung. The 29 districts of Taichung city were divided into urban and rural areas based on whether the population density is more than 1,000 people per square kilometer. Prehospital data were collected according to the Utstein-style template, and telephone auditory records were collected by a dispatch center.Results2,716 patients were enrolled during the study period. 88.4% OHCA occurred in urban areas and 11.6% in rural areas. 74.9% after dispatcher assistance, laypersons performed CPR in urban areas and 67.7% in rural areas (p=0.023). The proportion of laypersons continued CPR until an emergency medical technician's (EMT) arrival was higher in the urban areas (59.57% vs 52.27%, p=0.039). Laypersons continued CPR until an EMT' arrival would increase the chance of return of spontaneous circulation in urban and rural areas, with adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.82-1.27, and aOR of 1.49, 95% CI of 0.80-2.80, respectively. Continued laypersons CPR until the EMT' arrival also improved survival with favorable neurological function, with aOR of 1.16, 95% CI of 0.61-2.20 in urban areas and aOR of 2.90 95% CI of 0.18-46.81 in rural areas.ConclusionBystanders in urban areas exhibited higher ratio of acceptance of DACPR. However, after DACPR intervention, prognosis improvement was considerably higher in rural areas than in urban areas.
Project description:ObjectiveConduct of emergency research under waiver of consent produces special challenges. Moreover, the act of performing research may have unintended effects, potentially beneficial or detrimental. The Dispatcher-Assisted Randomized Trial (DART) was designed to compare 2 types of dispatcher cardiopulmonary (CPR) instruction, but not intended to affect the proportion of arrest victims that received bystander CPR. We sought to determine whether odds of receiving bystander CPR were higher during DART than during the periods before and after.MethodsWe conducted an observational cohort study of 8626 adults who suffered non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest prior to emergency medical services (EMS) arrival in greater King County, Washington, between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2011. Bystander CPR status was assessed through review of dispatch recordings and EMS reports to classify any bystander CPR (any B-CPR), and further categorized as bystander CPR with or without dispatcher assistance (DA-CPR and B-CPR, no DA). We used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate odds of B-CPR before, during, and after DART.ResultsThe proportions receiving any B-CPR were 52% before DART (1817/3468), 59% during DART (2093/3527), and 54% after DART (885/1631). Compared to the period before DART, odds of receiving any B-CPR were higher during DART (OR=1.35, 95% CI=1.23-1.49), but no different after (OR=1.10, 0.98-1.24). Compared to the before period, odds of DA-CPR were higher during DART (OR=1.79, 1.59-2.02) but no different after (OR=0.94, 0.80-1.10).ConclusionsOdds of bystander CPR were higher during the trial, an increase related to higher likelihood of DA-CPR. The finding suggests a possible indirect community-wide benefit due to the interventional trial.