Prehospital Critical Care Research Articles

Clinicians’ experience of barriers and facilitators to care delivery of an extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation service for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a qualitative survey

BackgroundOut-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival in the UK remains overall poor with fewer than 10% of patients surviving to hospital discharge. Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is a developing therapy option that can improve survival in select patients if treatment begins within an hour. Clinicians' perspectives are a pivotal consideration to the development of effective systems for OHCA ECPR, but they have been infrequently explored. This study investigates clinicians' views on the barriers and facilitators to establishing effective systems to facilitate transport of OHCA patients for in-hospital ECPR.MethodsIn January 2023, Thames Valley Air Ambulance (TVAA) and Harefield Hospital developed an ECPR partnership pathway for conveyance of OHCA patients for in-hospital ECPR. The authors of this study conducted a survey of clinicians across both services looking to identify clear barriers and positive contributors to the effective implementation of the programme. The survey included questions about technical and non-technical barriers and facilitators, with free-text responses analysed thematically.ResultsResponses were received from 14 pre-hospital TVAA critical care and 9 in-hospital clinicians’ representative of various roles and experiences. Data analysis revealed 10 key themes and 19 subthemes. The interconnected themes, identified by pre-hospital TVAA critical care clinicians as important barriers or facilitators in this ECPR system included educational programmes; collectiveness in effort and culture; teamwork; inter-service communication; concurrent activity; and clarity of procedures. Themes from in-hospital clinicians’ responses were distilled into key considerations focusing on learning and marginal gains, standardising and simplifying protocols, training and simulation; and nurturing effective teams.ConclusionThis study identified several clear themes and subthemes from clinical experience that should be considered when developing and modelling an ECPR system for OHCA. These insights may inform future development of ECPR programmes for OHCA in other centres. Key recommendations identified include prioritising education and training (including regular simulations), standardising a ‘pitstop style’ handover process, establishing clear roles during the cannulation process and developing standardised protocols and selection criteria. This study also provides insight into the feasibility of using pre-hospital critical care teams for intra-arrest patient retrieval in the pre-hospital arena.

Aggressive Hyperkalemia Treatment in the Prehospital Setting

This is a case of profound unstable hyperkalemia encountered in the American pre-hospital 911 setting, with subsequent aggressive treatment and stabilization. Although hyperkalemia may be present in the prehospital setting, it is difficult to diagnose without laboratory testing or a reliable history of illness. It is frequently encountered in the pre-hospital setting, especially in communities with high levels of comorbidities and multiple dialysis centers. However, in the spectrum of hyperkalemia presentations, many of these patients are either early in their disease presentation or found when already in cardiac arrest. Early identification and rapid, aggressive treatment are paramount to decreasing morbidity and mortality in these patient populations. This case shows how aggressive prehospital critical care can have a significant impact on patient outcomes.

Hemodynamic Collapse After Intubation in Critical Care Transport

Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the incidence of and modifiable risk factors for post intubation hemodynamic collapse in prehospital and interfacility critical care transport. Methods Single center retrospective chart review of adult patients (≥18 years) intubated by a critical care transport team between January 2017 and May 2023. The primary outcome was incidence of hemodynamic collapse (systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg for greater than 30 min, new vasopressor requirement, vasopressor dose increase, fluid bolus of >15 mL/kg, systolic blood pressure <65 mmHg at least once, or cardiac arrest). Secondary outcomes included post intubation hypoxia, as well as association of hemodynamic collapse with potentially modifiable risk factors including pre intubation shock index, pre intubation heart rate, pre intubation systolic blood pressure, and induction agent. Results Three hundred and thirty-three patients were included. Ninety-seven (29.1%) patients experienced hemodynamic collapse and 36 (10.8%) of patients experienced life threatening hemodynamic collapse. Pre intubation shock index >1 (OR 3.18, 95% CI 1.15–8.74) was associated with post intubation hemodynamic collapse. Choice of induction agent, fluid bolus prior to intubation, location of intubation, presence of traumatic injury, and age were not correlated with risk of hemodynamic collapse. The number of intubation attempts and methods of intubation were similar between groups. Conclusions Hemodynamic collapse and life-threatening hemodynamic collapse after intubation occurred frequently in this critical care transport cohort. Shock index greater than one was associated with significantly higher risk of hemodynamic collapse and life-threatening hemodynamic collapse.

Non-invasive versus arterial pressure monitoring in the pre-hospital critical care environment: a paired comparison of concurrently recorded measurements

BackgroundBlood pressure monitoring is important in the pre-hospital management of critically ill patients. Non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) measurements are commonly used but the accuracy of standard oscillometric cuff devices may be affected by extremes of physiology and adverse conditions (e.g. vibration) during transport. This study aimed to quantify the accuracy of NIBP measurements amongst patients requiring pre-hospital critical care.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was undertaken using data from patients treated by a pre-hospital critical team between 1st May 2020 and 30th April 2023 that had NIBP measured concurrently with invasive blood pressure (IBP) arterial manometry. An acceptable difference was determined a priori to be < 20mmHg for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and < 10mmHg for mean arterial pressure (MAP). The primary outcome was “pairwise agreement”, i.e. the proportion of paired observations that fell within this range of acceptability. Bland-Altman plots were constructed together with 95% limits of agreement to visualise differences between pairs of data. Associations with patient age, reason for critical care, transport status, haemodynamic shock, severe hypertension, and arterial catheter position were explored in univariate analyses and by fitting multivariable logistic regression models.ResultsThere were 2,359 paired measurements from 221 individual patients with a median age of 57. The most frequent reason for transport was cardiac arrest (79, 35.7%). Bland-Altman analyses suggested unacceptably wide limits of agreement with NIBP overestimating both SBP and MAP during hypotension and underestimating these values during hypertension. Haemodynamic shock (SBP < 90mmHg) was independently associated with reduced pairwise agreement for SBP (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.52, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.77), DBP (aOR 0.65, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.99) and MAP (aOR 0.53, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.78) and severe hypertension (SBP > 160mmHg) with reduced pairwise agreement for SBP (aOR 0.17, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.27). There was no association between patient transport and agreement between the methods for SBP, DBP, or MAP.ConclusionsNon-invasive blood pressure measurements are often inaccurate in the pre-hospital critical care setting, particularly in patients with haemodynamic instability. Clinicians should be cautious when interpreting NIBP measurements and consider direct arterial pressure monitoring when circumstances allow.

Association between EMS response times, low socioeconomic status, and poorer outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: the MEDIC multicenter retrospective cohort study for disparities in access to prehospital critical care in the Paris metropolitan area

Background and importance Prolonged emergency medical services’ response times (EMS-RT) are associated with poorer outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The patient access time interval (PATI), from vehicle stop until contact with patient, may be increased in areas with low socioeconomic status (SES). Objectives The objective of this study is to identify predictors of prolonged EMS-RT intervals, and to evaluate associations with clinical outcomes in OHCAs occurring in the largest metropolitan area in France. Design Using the Utstein-style, prospectively implemented, population-based SDEC registry for OHCAs, we conducted a multicenter, region-wide, retrospective cohort study of EMS dispatches for OHCA cases occurring in the 152 cities of the Greater Paris area, France, between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018. Settings and participants Adult, nontraumatic, EMS-assessed, non-EMS witnessed OHCAs. Exposure Geographic location and scene-level SES. Outcome measures and analysis The primary outcome was the EMS-RT interval, from activation until arrival at patient’s side. As secondary outcomes, we evaluated patient access outcomes of: (1) dispatch-to-patient contact interval (‘EMS-RT’); and (2) vehicle scene arrival-to-patient contact interval (PATI); and patient clinical outcomes of: (1) death; and (2) unfavorable neurological status, both at 30 days. Area-level SES was assessed at census tract level using the European Deprivation Index (EDI; continuous, and divided into quintiles, Q5 = most deprived). We fitted multilevel mixed-effects regression models to identify predictors of patient access outcomes, and their association with clinical outcomes. Main results We included 4082 cases; the median EMS-RT was 10.85 min (interquartile range [8.87–13.15]), and 138 (3.4%) survived to hospital discharge. Independent predictors of increased EMS-RT and PATI were age &gt;65, female sex, residential location, occurrence at elevated floors, arrest unwitnessed by a bystander, and low EDI (all P &lt; 0.018). After multivariable analysis, an overall EMS-RT interval &gt;8 min was associated with higher mortality and poorer neurological status at hospital discharge (both P &lt; 0.001). Conclusion In OHCA cases occurring in the Greater Paris metropolitan area, after adjustment for scene characteristics, EMS delays until patient contact were longer in neighborhoods of low SES, and were associated with poorer clinical outcomes.

The Impact of Location and Asset Type on the Success of Advanced Airway Management in a Critical Care Transport Environment

ObjectiveAdvanced airway management (AAM) is a critical component of prehospital critical care. Airway management in flight can be more challenging because of spatial, ergonomic, and environmental factors. This study examines the frequency of in-flight intubation (IFI), first-pass success (FPS) rates, and definitive airway sans hypoxia/hypotension on first attempt (DASH-1A) across different locations of airway management. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective database analysis of all patients transported between January 2016 and July 2021 who received AAM from a single air medical service. Patient records were reviewed for location of intubation, patient characteristics, and FPS and DASH-1A rates. The primary outcome was the frequency of IFI. The secondary outcomes included FPS and DASH-1A rates by location and type of transport asset. ResultsDuring the study period, 473 patients required AAM. Three percent (15/473) of patients were intubated in an in-flight setting, 28% (130/473) were intubated on scene, and 70% (328/473) were intubated in a health care facility. The primary reason for IFI was unanticipated cardiac arrest or clinical deterioration. The overall FPS rate was 69% (328/473), and the DASH-1A rate was 49% (194/399). Based on the location of AAM, the FPS and DASH-1A rates were the lowest for on-scene intubations (56% [74/130] and 27% [20/74], respectively). Most of the on-scene AAM took place with rotor wing flight crews. ConclusionAirway management occurs infrequently in an in-flight setting and is necessary because of patient deterioration or cardiac arrest. Based on our results, we identified opportunities for targeted AAM quality improvement and clinical governance.

Saving ambulance resources: a service evaluation of the identification of non-viable out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in London by advanced paramedic practitioners in critical care.

Advanced paramedic practitioners in critical care (APPCCs) are advanced clinical practitioners focused on the delivery of pre-hospital critical care. While working in an ambulance control room setting, APPCCs seek to identify emergency calls appropriate for operational APPCCs to attend. These would include out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Through interrogation of incoming emergency calls they are also able to identify OHCA calls where resuscitation may be futile. In these cases, and within a governance framework, they stand down multiple ambulance responders, leaving only the closest responding resource to attend, thereby 'saving resources' that can be re-directed to other waiting emergency calls. It is believed that this is the first initiative of this nature in the United Kingdom. A three-year retrospective service evaluation of data was undertaken. The aim was to quantify the number of 'saved resources', including both double crewed ambulances (DCAs) and solo (single-person) responders, and furthermore to equate those savings into potential hours saved, using average known job cycle times (JCTs). Additionally, safety was assessed by searching all mandated incident reports for occasions where, despite cancellation of resources by an APPCC, resuscitation was commenced by the first response to scene. A total of 13,356 ambulance resources were saved. Of these, 6593 (49.4%) were DCAs and 6763 (50.6%) were solo responders. Using the average JCT for deceased patients of 104.8 minutes, the total time saving equated to 23,328.48 hours of work or 1944.04 12-hour shifts. When considering DCAs alone, the average JCT for obviously deceased patients was 110.9 minutes. This equates to 12,186.1 hours of work or 1015.5 12-hour shifts. A total of 15 incident reports were identified. All had been investigated, revealing appropriate decision making in cancelling ambulance resources. No patient harm was identified. APPCCs working within a governance framework safely saved a significant number of ambulance resources over a three-year period. Perceived benefits include 'freeing up' DCA and solo responders, allowing them to be redirected to other emergency calls, leading to potential improvement in response times for patients waiting for an ambulance resource.

Prehospital point-of-care ultrasound in ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms-a retrospective cohort study.

Patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) require immediate vascular treatment to survive. The use of prehospital point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may support clinical assessment, correct diagnosis, appropriate triage and reduce system delay. The aim was to study the process of care and outcome in patients receiving prehospital POCUS versus patients not receiving prehospital POCUS in patients with rAAA, ruptured iliac aneurysm or impending aortic rupture. We performed a retrospective cohort study in patients diagnosed with rAAA in the Central Denmark Region treated by a prehospital critical care physician from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2021. Performance of prehospital POCUS was extracted from the prehospital electronic health records. System delay was defined as the time from the emergency phone call to the emergency medical service dispatch centre until the start of surgery. Data on patients primary hospital admission to a centre with/without vascular treatment expertise, treatments and complications including death were extracted from electronic health records. We included 169 patients; prehospital POCUS was performed in 124 patients (73%). Emergency surgical treatment was performed in 71 patients. The overall survival in the POCUS group was 39% versus 16% in the NO POCUS group (hazard ratio (HR) (95% 0.60, 95% CI: 0.41-0.89, p = .011). In the POCUS group 99/124 (80%) were directly admitted to a vascular surgical centre versus 25/45 (56%) in the NO POCUS, RD 24% (95% CI: 8-40)), (p = .002). In the POCUS group, system delay was a median of 142 minutes (interquartile range (IQR) 121-189) and a median of 232 minutes (IQR 166-305) in the NO POCUS group (p = .006). In a multivariable analysis incorporating age, sex, previously known rAAA, and typical clinical symptoms of rAAA, the HR for death was 0.57, 95% CI 0.38-0.86 (p = .008) favouring prehospital POCUS. Prehospital POCUS was associated with reduced time to treatment, higher chance of operability and significantly higher 30-day survival in patients with rAAA, ruptured iliac aneurysm or impending rupture of an AAA in this retrospective study. Residual confounding cannot be excluded. This study supports the clinical relevance of prehospital POCUS of the abdominal aorta.

Haemodynamic response to pre-hospital emergency anaesthesia in trauma patients within an urban helicopter emergency medical service.

Pre-hospital emergency anaesthesia is routinely used in the care of severely injured patients by pre-hospital critical care services. Anaesthesia, intubation, and positive pressure ventilation may lead to haemodynamic instability. The aim of this study was to identify the frequency of new-onset haemodynamic instability after induction in trauma patients with a standardised drug regime. A retrospective database analysis was undertaken of all adult patients treated by a physician-led urban pre-hospital care service over a 6-year period. The primary outcome measure was the frequency of new haemodynamic instability following pre-hospital emergency anaesthesia. The association of patient characteristics and drug regimes with new haemodynamic instability was also analysed. A total of 1624 patients were included. New haemodynamic instability occurred in 231 patients (17.4%). Patients where a full-dose regime was administered were less likely to experience new haemodynamic instability than those who received a modified dose regime (9.7% vs 24.8%, p < 0.001). The use of modified drug regimes became more common over the study period (p < 0.001) but there was no change in the rates of pre-existing (p = 0.22), peri-/post-anaesthetic (p = 0.36), or new haemodynamic instability (p = 0.32). New haemodynamic instability within the first 30min following pre-hospital emergency anaesthesia in trauma patients is common despite reduction of sedative drug doses to minimise their haemodynamic impact. It is important to identify non-drug factors that may improve cardiovascular stability in this group to optimise the care received by these patients.

Resuscitation with pre-hospital blood products in adults with trauma-related haemorrhagic shock: the RePHILL RCT

Background The treatment of traumatic haemorrhagic shock has been transformed through better haemorrhage control, use of tranexamic acid and use of blood products. The improved survival seen from these strategies has stimulated an interest in pre-hospital transfusion. Objectives To determine if the clinical effectiveness of resuscitation with red blood cells and lyophilised plasma was superior to 0.9% saline for improving tissue perfusion and reducing mortality in adults with haemorrhagic shock following major trauma. Design A multi-centre, allocation concealed, open-label, parallel group, randomised controlled trial (with internal pilot). Setting The trial was conducted in four civilian pre-hospital critical care services who operated within the National Health Service (NHS) England Major Trauma Networks. Participants Adults (aged ≥16 years) who had sustained traumatic injuries, were attended by a pre-hospital emergency medical team and were hypotensive (systolic blood pressure &lt;90 mmHg or absence of radial pulse) as a consequence of traumatic haemorrhage were eligible for inclusion. The exclusion criteria were known or apparently &lt;16 years, blood administered on scene prior to arrival of the RePHILL team, traumatic cardiac arrest where (1) the arrest occurred prior to arrival of the team and/or (2) the primary cause is not hypovolaemia, refusal of blood product administration, known Jehovah’s Witness, pregnancy, isolated head injury without evidence of external haemorrhage, prisoners in the custody of HM Prison and Probation Service. Interventions Participants were randomised to receive up to either two units each of red blood cells and lyophilised plasma or up to 1 L 0.9% saline. Treatment was administered through the intravenous or intraosseous route. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was a composite of episode mortality and/or impaired lactate clearance. The secondary outcomes included the individual components of the primary outcome. Results From 6 December 2016 to 2 January 2021, pre-hospital medical teams randomised 432 participants to red blood cell/lyophilised plasma (n = 209) or 0.9% saline (n = 223) out of a target sample size of 490. Most participants were white (62%), males (82%), median age 38 (interquartile range 26 to 58), involved in a road traffic collision (62%) with severe injuries (median injury severity score 36, interquartile range 25 to 50). Prior to randomisation participants had received on average 430 ml crystalloid fluids and tranexamic acid (90%). The primary outcome occurred in 128/199 (64.3%) of participants randomised to red blood cell/lyophilised plasma and 136/210 (64.8%) randomised to 0.9% saline [adjusted risk difference –0.025% (95% confidence interval –9.0% to 9.0%), p = 0.996]. The event rates for the individual components of the primary outcome, episode mortality and lactate clearance were not statistically different between groups [adjusted average differences −3% (−12% to 7%); p = 0.57 and −5% (−14% to 5%), p = 0.33, respectively]. Limitations Recruitment stopped prematurely due to disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Future work Identify the characteristics of patients who may benefit from pre-hospital blood products and whether alternative transfusion regimens are superior to standard care. Conclusions The trial did not demonstrate that pre-hospital red blood cell/lyophilised plasma resuscitation was superior to 0.9% saline for trauma-related haemorrhagic shock. Trial registration This trial is registered as ISRCTN62326938. Funding This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation Programme (NIHR award ref: 14/152/14) and is published in full in Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation; Vol. 11, No. 2. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

The association between geospatial and temporal factors and pre-hospital response to major trauma: a retrospective cohort study in the North of England

BackgroundMajor trauma is a leading cause of premature death and disability worldwide, and many healthcare systems seek to improve outcomes following severe injury with provision of pre-hospital critical care. Much research has focussed on the efficacy of pre-hospital critical care and advanced pre-hospital interventions, but less is known about how the structure of pre-hospital critical care services may influence response to major trauma. This study assessed the association between likelihood of pre-hospital critical care response in major trauma and factors important in the planning and development of those services: geographic isolation, time of day, and tasking mechanism.MethodsA local trauma registry, supported with data from the Trauma Audit and Research Network alongside additional information regarding pre-hospital management, identified patients sustaining major trauma admitted to Major Trauma Centres in the North of England. Data was extracted on location and time of incident, mechanism of injury, on-scene times, and presence or absence of pre-hospital critical care team. An isochrone map was constructed for 30-minute intervals to regional Major Trauma Centres, defining geographic isolation. Univariate logistic regression compared likelihood of pre-hospital critical care response to that of conventional ambulance response for varying degrees of geographic isolation, day or night period, and mechanism of injury, and multiple linear regression assessed the association between geographic isolation, service response and on-scene time.Results2619 incidents were included, with 23.3% attended by pre-hospital critical care teams. Compared to conventional ambulance services, pre-hospital critical care teams were more likely to respond major trauma in areas of greater geographic isolation (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.30–1.55, p < 0.005). There were significant differences in the mechanism of injury attended and no significant difference in response by day or night period. Pre-hospital critical care team response and increasing geographic isolation was associated with longer on-scene times (p < 0.005).ConclusionPre-hospital critical care teams are more likely to respond to major trauma in areas of greater geographic isolation. Enhanced pre-hospital care may mitigate geographic inequalities when providing advanced interventions and transport of severely injured patients. There may be an unmet need for pre-hospital critical care response in areas close to major hospitals.

Prehospital Critical Care Blood Product Administration: Quantifying Clinical Benefit.

Prehospital blood transfusion has been widely practiced in the military and is drawing renewed scrutiny after many years of civilian use. The objective of this article is to quantify the benefit derived from prehospital transfusion of blood products. Deidentified data were extracted retrospectively from the flight records of a critical care transportation program between April 2018 and January 2020. Patients who were transported before a prehospital blood transfusion protocol were compared with patients after initiation of the blood transfusion protocol. Demographic data, vital signs, laboratory analytics, and other outcome measures were analyzed. Nine scene transport patients who met the transfusion criteria before a blood transfusion protocol were compared with 11 patients transported after initiation of the protocol. Identical outcome measures were analyzed. Patients who received prehospital blood transfusions had a statistically significantly longer hospital length of stay (16.5 vs 3.7 days, P = .03) and were more often taken directly to the operating room (80% vs 28%, P = .04). No statistically significant difference was identified when comparing mean arterial pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, hemoglobin, hematocrit, or survival to hospital discharge. Trauma patients who received prehospital blood transfusion had a longer hospital length of stay and were more often taken directly to the operating room, but without improvement in survival.

Defining pediatric trauma center resource utilization: Multidisciplinary consensus-based criteria from the Pediatric Trauma Society.

Pediatric trauma triage and transfer decisions should incorporate the likelihood that an injured child will require pediatric trauma center (PTC) resources. Resource utilization may be a better basis than mortality risk when evaluating pediatric injury severity. However, there is currently no consensus definition of PTC resource utilization that encompasses the full scope of PTC services. Consensus criteria were developed in collaboration with the Pediatric Trauma Society (PTS) Research Committee using a modified Delphi approach. An expert panel was recruited representing the following pediatric disciplines: prehospital care, emergency medicine, nursing, general surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, anesthesia, radiology, critical care, child abuse, and rehabilitation medicine. Resource utilization criteria were drafted from a comprehensive literature review, seeking to complete the following sentence: "Pediatric patients with traumatic injuries have used PTC resources if they..." Criteria were then refined and underwent three rounds of voting to achieve consensus. Consensus was defined as agreement of 75% or more panelists. Between the second and third voting rounds, broad feedback from attendees of the PTS annual meeting was obtained. The Delphi panel consisted of 18 members from 15 institutions. Twenty initial draft criteria were developed based on literature review. These criteria dealt with airway interventions, vascular access, initial stabilization procedures, fluid resuscitation, blood product transfusion, abdominal trauma/solid organ injury management, intensive care monitoring, anesthesia/sedation, advanced imaging, radiologic interpretation, child abuse evaluation, and rehabilitative services. After refinement and panel voting, 14 criteria achieved the >75% consensus threshold. The final consensus criteria were reviewed and endorsed by the PTS Guidelines Committee. This study defines multidisciplinary consensus-based criteria for PTC resource utilization. These criteria are an important step toward developing a criterion standard, resource-based, pediatric injury severity metric. Such metrics can help optimize system-level pediatric trauma triage based on likelihood of requiring PTC resources. Diagnostic Test/Criteria; Level II.

Cardiac Arrest Bundle of cARE Trial (CABARET) survey of current UK neuroprotective CPR practice

Despite low out of hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA) survival rates within the UK, animal studies hint at improved cerebral blood flow via a bundled neuroprotective CPR approach. The CABARET study introduces three key devices: the Head Up Position (HUP), Active Compression/Decompression (ACD) CPR, and the Impedance Threshold Device (ITD). A survey involving 27 UK pre-hospital critical care services indicated none are using these interventions widely, either alone or bundled. The CABARET team is now initiating a pilot study to investigate the feasibility of this CPR bundle, aiming to fill the prevailing evidence void in resuscitation research.

Pre-hospital and retrieval medicine in Scotland: a retrospective cohort study of the workload and outcomes of the emergency medical retrieval service in the first decade of national coverage

BackgroundThe Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS) has provided national pre-hospital critical care and aeromedical retrieval in Scotland since 2010. This study investigates trends in the service and patients attended over the last decade; and factors associated with clinical deterioration and pre-hospital death.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted of all service taskings over ten years (2011–2020 inclusive). The EMRS electronic database provided data on location, sociodemographic factors, diagnoses, physiological measurements, clinical management, and pre-hospital deaths. Binary logistic regression models were used to determine change in physiology in pre-hospital care, and factors associated with pre-hospital death. Geospatial modelling, using road and air travel time models, was used to explore transfer times.ResultsEMRS received 8,069 taskings over the study period, of which 2,748 retrieval and 3,633 pre-hospital critical care missions resulted in patient contact. EMRS was more commonly dispatched to socioeconomically deprived areas for pre-hospital critical care incidents (Spearman’s rank correlation, r(8)=-0.75, p = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, systolic blood pressure < 90mmHg, respiratory rate < 6/min or > 30/min, and Glasgow Coma Score ≤ 14 were associated with pre-hospital mortality independent of demographic factors. Geospatial modelling suggested that aeromedical retrieval reduced the mean time to a critical care unit by 1 h 46 min compared with road/ferry transportation.ConclusionEMRS continues to develop, delivering Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine across Scotland and may have a role in addressing health inequalities, including socioeconomic deprivation and geographic isolation. Age, specific distances from care, and abnormal physiology are associated with death in pre-hospital critical care.

Brief Comparative Analysis of Trauma Care Specialties in Europe and the United States.

Understanding the variation in training and nuances of trauma provider practice between the countries in Europe and the United States is a daunting task. This article briefly reviews the key specialties of trauma care in Europe including emergency medical services (EMS), emergency medicine, anesthesia, trauma surgery, and critical care. The authors hope to inform U.S. military clinicians and medical planners of the major differences in emergency and trauma care that exist across Europe. Emergency medicine exists as both a primary specialty and a subspecialty across Europe, with varying stages of development as a specialty in each country. There is heavy physician involvement in EMS in much of Europe, with anesthesiologists having additional EMS training typically providing prehospital critical care. Because of the historical predominance of blunt trauma in Europe, in many countries, trauma surgery is a subspecialty with initial orthopedic surgery training versus general surgery. Intensive care medicine has various training pathways across Europe, but there have been great advances in standardizing competency requirements across the European Union. Finally, the authors suggest some strategies to mitigate the potential negative consequences of joint medical teams and how to leverage some key differences to advance life-saving medical interoperability across the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance.

Spotlight on Research

Journal of Paramedic PracticeVol. 15, No. 3 Spotlight on ResearchSpotlight on ResearchPete GregoryPete GregoryAssociate Dean and Head of School of Allied Health and Midwifery, University of Wolverhampton, UKSearch for more papers by this authorPete GregoryPublished Online:6 Mar 2023https://doi.org/10.12968/jpar.2023.15.3.128AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article References Ramage L, McLachlan S, Williams K; PreHOspital Trainee Operated research Network (PHOTON). Determining the top research priorities in UK prehospital critical care: a modified Delphi study. Emerg Med J. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1136/emermed-2022-212622 Crossref, Google ScholarYang SC, Hsu YH, Chang YH, Chien LT, Chen IC, Chiang WC. Epinephrine administration in adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a comparison between intraosseous and intravenous route. Am J Emerg Med. 2023;67:63–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2023.02.003 Crossref, Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 March 2023Volume 15Issue 3ISSN (print): 1759-1376ISSN (online): 2041-9457 Metrics History Published online 6 March 2023 Published in print 2 March 2023 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

PrehospitaL Ultrasound in Undifferentiated DyspnEa (PreLUDE): a prospective, clinical, observational study

BackgroundDiagnostic uncertainty in patients with dyspnea is associated with worse outcomes. We hypothesized that prehospital point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) can improve diagnostic accuracy.MethodsProspective observational study of adult patients suffering dyspnea. Prehospital critical care physicians registered a suspected diagnosis based on clinical examination alone, performed POCUS of the heart and lungs, and finally registered suspected diagnoses based on their clinical examination supplemented with POCUS. Pre- and post-POCUS diagnoses were compared to endpoint committee adjudicated diagnoses. The primary outcome was improved sensitivity for diagnosing acute heart failure. Secondary outcomes included other diagnostic accuracy measures in relation to acute heart failure and other causes of dyspnea.ResultsIn total, 214 patients were included. The diagnosis of acute heart failure was suspected in 64/214 (30%) of patients before POCUS and 64/214 (30%) patients after POCUS, but POCUS led to reclassification in 53/214 (25%) patients. The endpoint committee adjudicated the diagnosis of acute heart failure in 87/214 (41%) patients. The sensitivity for the diagnosis of acute heart failure was 58% (95% CI 46%–69%) before POCUS compared to 65% (95% CI 53%–75%) after POCUS (p = 0.12). ROC AUC for the diagnosis acute heart failure was 0.72 (95% CI 0.66–0.78) before POCUS compared to 0.79 (0.73–0.84) after POCUS (p < 0.001). ROC AUC for the diagnosis acute exacerbation (AE) of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma was 0.87 (0.82–0.91) before POCUS and 0.93 (0.88–0.97) after POCUS (p < 0.001). A POCUS finding of any of severely reduced left ventricular function, bilateral B-lines or bilateral pleural effusion demonstrated the highest sensitivity for acute heart failure at 88% (95% CI 79%–94%), whereas the combination of all of these three findings yielded the highest specificity at 99% (95% CI 95%–100%).ConclusionSupplementary prehospital POCUS leads to an improvement of diagnostic accuracy of both heart failure and AE-COPD/-asthma overall described by ROC AUC, but the increase in sensitivity for the diagnoses of acute heart failure did not reach statistical significance. Tailored use of POCUS findings optimizes diagnostic accuracy for rule-out and rule-in of acute heart failure.Trial registration: Registered in Clinical Trials, 05.04.2019 (identifier: NCT03905460) https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT03905460?term=NCT03905460&cond=Dyspnea&cntry=DK&draw=2&rank=1.

Determining the top research priorities in UK prehospital critical care: a modified Delphi study

BackgroundPrehospital critical care is a rapidly evolving field. There is a paucity of evidence relating to its practice, with limited progress in answering those research questions identified over a decade...

Implementing IPASS Handoff to Improve Patient Safety in Pediatric Critical Care Transport

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to implement a standardized, hospital-based bedside handoff report (IPASS [Illness severity, Patient summary, Action items, Situational awareness, and Synthesis]) in prehospital pediatric critical care transport to increase patient safety by eliminating the risk of misreporting or omitting critical patient care information received before arrival at a tertiary care center. The setting for this project was a level 1 pediatric trauma center in the Southern United States. MethodsPre- and postsurveys were used to assess staff perception of clinical handoff comprehensiveness and satisfaction with the use of a standardized IPASS handoff tool. ResultsImprovement was identified in 6 of 8 survey items. Team members were better able to hear all the information provided in the handoff, the format was functional, and physical transfers of patients from the transport team to the ED went more smoothly. Overall, satisfaction of the handoff process increased by 80%. ConclusionMany factors contribute to patient safety events and errors in health care, with communication failures contributing to the majority. Overall, findings support the use of standardized IPASS handoffs in pediatric critical care transport to promote patient safety, increase comprehension of patient information, and increase staff satisfaction.