Effectiveness of the Abdominal Thrust Maneuver for Airway Obstruction Removal: Analysis of Data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System.

BACKGROUND: Foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) is a life-threatening emergency. Abdominal thrusts are recommended as first aid, but the success rate for this technique is unclear. Using information from a large database of emergency medical services (EMS) data in the United States, we evaluated the success rate of abdominal thrusts and identified patient characteristics that were associated with the success of the technique. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted using data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) to ascertain the success of abdominal thrusts in patients with FBAO from nearly 14,000 EMS agencies. Success was defined by positive evaluations on subjective and objective EMS criteria. RESULTS: Analysis of 1,947 cases yielded a 46.6% success rate for abdominal thrusts in removing obstructions. The age distribution was bimodal, with peaks during infancy and old age. June had the highest incidence of FBAO. Incidents were most frequent during lunch and dinner times, and most cases occurred in private residences. The first-time success rate was 41.5%, and a lower level of impaired consciousness was associated with lower success rates. A lower incidence of cardiac arrest was noted in successful cases. The success rate was high (60.2%) for children (age ≤15 years), with differences in demographic characteristics and a lower rate of impaired consciousness and cardiac arrests, as compared with unsuccessful interventions in the same age group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed a 46.6% success rate for abdominal thrusts in patients with FBAO. The success group had a lower proportion of impaired consciousness and cardiopulmonary arrest than the failure group. Future studies should attempt to identify the most effective maneuvers for clearing airway obstruction.

Usefulness of Self-Selected Scenarios for Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment Method Using Virtual Reality.

BACKGROUND: Repeated triage training is necessary to maintain and improve the accuracy of simple triage and rapid treatment (START), a popular triage method. Virtual reality (VR) may be more effective than conventional training methods. This study aimed to verify the educational usefulness of START using VR originally developed for students. METHODS: A VR was initially developed with a function that allowed students to select the triage procedure and its evaluation. Triage was performed using a simple modified START method, and eight scenarios were developed. The participants included 70 paramedic students classified into VR and live lecture groups. They took a 20-question written test that evaluated their academic ability before the course. After the course, a practical test and a 20-question written test were conducted. The total score of the practical test was 43 points. Triage procedure (1 point), observation and evaluation (1-5 points), and triage categories (1 point) were evaluated in this test. RESULTS: The VR and live lecture groups consisted of 33 and 29 participants, respectively. No significant differences were observed pre- and post-test. In the practical test, the median (interquartile range) score was 29 (26-32) and 25 (23-29) for the VR and live lecture groups, respectively, with the VR group scoring significantly higher (P=0.03). CONCLUSION: Our results confirmed the educational usefulness of selective VR for active learning of START. Therefore, VR combined with live lectures and simulations would be an optimal educational technique.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Emergency Transferred Patients with Foreign Body Airway Obstruction in Tokyo, Japan.

INTRODUCTION: Foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) is a life-threatening emergency, and the prognosis of patients with FBAO is greatly affected by the prehospital process. There are only a few large-scale studies analyzing prehospital process databases of the fire department. STUDY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether characteristics of patients with FBAO were associated with prehospital factors and outcomes. METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, patients transferred to the hospital by the Tokyo, Japan Fire Department for FBAO from 2017 through 2019 were included. The association between neurologically favorable survival among the characteristics of patients with FBAO and prehospital factors affecting the outcomes was evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 2,429,175 patients, 3,807 (0.2%) patients had FBAO. The highest number of FBAO cases was 99 (2.6%), which occurred on January 1 (New Year's Day), followed by 40 cases (1.1%) on January 2, and 28 cases (0.7%) on January 3. The number of patients who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) caused by FBAO was 1,644 (43.2%). Comparing the OHCA and non-OHCA groups, there were significant differences in age, sex, time spent at the site, and distance between the site and hospital. Cardiac arrest was significantly lower in infants after FBAO (P < .001). In total, 98.2% of patients who did not have return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) before hospital arrival died within 30 days, a significantly higher mortality rate than that in patients who had ROSC (98.2% versus 65.8%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients who did not have ROSC following FBAO upon arrival at the hospital, 98.2% died within 30 days. Thus, it is important to remove foreign bodies promptly and provide sufficient ventilation to the patient at the scene to increase the potential for ROSC. Further, more precautions should be exercised to prevent FBAO at the beginning of the year.

Wearing a face mask during controlled-intensity exercise is not a risk factor for exertional heatstroke: A pilot study.

AIM: This study aimed to measure the influence of wearing face masks on individuals' physical status in a hot and humid environment. METHODS: Each participant experienced different physical situations: (i) not wearing a mask (control), (ii) wearing a surgical mask, (iii) wearing a sport mask. An ingestible capsule thermometer was used to measure internal core body temperature during different exercises (standing, walking, and running, each for 20 min) in an artificial weather room with the internal wet-bulb globe temperature set at 28°C. The change in the participants' physical status and urinary liver fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) were measured. RESULTS: Six healthy male volunteers were enrolled in the study. In each participant, significant changes were observed in the heart rate and internal core temperatures after increased exercise intensity; however, no significant differences were observed between these parameters and urinary L-FABP among the three intervention groups. CONCLUSION: Mask wearing is not a risk factor for heatstroke during increased exercise intensity.