Ambulance Traffic Crashes in Japan: Characteristics of Casualties and Efforts to Improve Ambulance Safety.

BACKGROUND: An ambulance traffic crash not only leads to injuries among emergency medical service (EMS) professionals but also injures patients or their companions during transportation. We aimed to describe the incidence of ambulance crashes, seating location, seatbelt use for casualties (ie, both fatal and nonfatal injuries), ambulance safety efforts, and to identify factors affecting the number of ambulance crashes in Japan. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide survey of all fire departments in Japan. The survey queried each fire department about the number of ambulance crashes between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2019, the number of casualties, their locations, and seatbelt usage. Additionally, the survey collected information on fire department characteristics, including the number of ambulance dispatches, and their safety efforts including emergency vehicle operation training and seatbelt policies. We used regression methods including a zero-inflated negative binomial model to identify factors associated with the number of crashes. RESULTS: Among the 726 fire departments in Japan, 553 (76.2%) responded to the survey, reporting a total of 11,901,210 ambulance dispatches with 1,659 ambulance crashes (13.9 for every 100,000 ambulance dispatches) that resulted in a total of 130 casualties during the 3-year study period (1.1 in every 100,000 dispatches). Among the rear cabin occupants, seatbelt use was limited for both EMS professionals (n = 3/29, 10.3%) and patients/companions (n = 3/26, 11.5%). Only 46.7% of the fire departments had an internal policy regarding seatbelt use. About three-fourths of fire departments (76.3%) conducted emergency vehicle operation training internally. The output of the regression model revealed that fire departments that conduct internal emergency vehicle operation training had fewer ambulance crashes compared to those that do not (odds of being an excessive zero -2.20, 95% CI: -3.6 to -0.8). CONCLUSION: Two-thirds of fire departments experienced at least one crash during the study period. The majority of rear cabin occupants who were injured in ambulance crashes were not wearing a seatbelt. Although efforts to ascertain seatbelt compliance were limited, Japanese fire departments have attempted a variety of methods to reduce ambulance crashes including internal emergency vehicle operation training, which was associated with fewer ambulance crashes.

Driving Ambulances Safely: Findings of Ten Years of Japanese Ambulance Crash Data.

OBJECTIVE: Rules and regulations for ambulance operations differ across countries and regions, however, little is known about ambulance crashes outside of the United States. Japan is unique in several aspects, for example, routine use of lights and sirens during response and transport regardless of the urgency of the case and low speed limits for ambulances. The aim of this study was to describe the incidence and characteristics of ambulance crashes in Japan. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA) that include all traffic crashes resulting in injury or death in Japan. The study included all ambulance crashes from 2009 to 2018. We compared crashes that occurred during emergency operations with lights and sirens (i.e., when responding to a call or transporting a patient) to those that occurred during non-emergency operations without lights or sirens. We also used data on total number of ambulance dispatches from the Japanese Fire and Disaster Management Agency to calculate ambulance crash risk. RESULTS: During the 10-year period, we identified a total of 486 ambulance crashes out of 59,208,761 ambulance dispatches (0.82 in every 100,000 dispatches or one crash for every 121,829 dispatches) that included two fatal crashes. Among all ambulance crashes, 142 (29.2%) occurred during emergency operations. The incidence of ambulance crashes decreased significantly over the 10-year period. Ambulance crashes at an intersection occurred more frequently during emergency operations than during non-emergency operations (72.5% vs. 58.1%; 14.4% difference, 95% CI 5.0-22.9). CONCLUSIONS: Ambulance crashes occurred infrequently in Japan with crash rates much lower than previously reported crash rates in the United States. Ambulance crashes during emergency operations occurred more frequently at intersections compared to non-emergency operations. Further investigation of the low Japanese ambulance crash rates could provide opportunities to improve ambulance safety in other countries.

Efficact of Supplemental Oxygen During Procedural Sedation and Analgesia in Elderly Patients in the Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND: The use of supplemental oxygen (SO) for procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) is recommended in many guidelines, but the evidence of SO for the elderly is limited. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the incidence of hypoxia with or without SO in PSA for the elderly patients. METHODS: We prospectively collected data on all patients undergoing PSA in the emergency department (ED) from May 2017 through December 2021. These data are from the Japanese Procedural SedaTion and Analgesia Registry. We included all elderly patients (65 years and older) who received PSA in the ED. We performed propensity score analysis for inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) to balance the baseline characteristics. The primary outcome was the incidence of hypoxia (SpO2 < 90%), and the secondary outcome was the incidence of bag-valve mask ventilation. RESULTS: Among 1465 patients in the registry, we included 816 (55.7%) patients in the analysis. After propensity score method for IPTW, the distributions of confounders were closely balanced between the two groups. The incidence of hypoxia was significantly lower in the SO group compared with the non-SO group (6.2% vs. 19.3%; difference -13.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI] -9.8 to -16.4; p < 0.001). SO was also associated with a lower incidence of bag-valve mask ventilation (5.2% vs. 15.4%; difference -10.2%; 95% CI -7.1 to -13.2; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In a propensity-matched analysis, SO was associated with a lower incidence of hypoxia in elderly patients during ED PSA.

Antibiotic Prescribing in Adults Presenting with Pharyngitis Pre- and Post-Implementation of a Rapid Group A Streptococcus Test.

Background: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis is the most common bacterial cause of acute pharyngitis and is often over treated with unnecessary antibiotics. The purpose was to evaluate if implementation of a rapid antigen detection test (RADT) for GAS would reduce the number of inappropriately prescribed antibiotics for adult patients presenting with symptoms of pharyngitis. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of adult urgent care clinic patients pre- and post-implementation of a GAS RADT. We included patients who had a diagnosis of GAS identified via ICD-10 codes and either a throat culture, GAS RADT, or antibiotic prescribed for GAS. Antibiotic prescribing was assessed as appropriate or inappropriate based on testing and IDSA guideline recommendations. Thirty-day follow-up visits related to pharyngitis or the prescribed antibiotics was also evaluated. Results: A total of 1734 patients were included; 912 and 822 in the pre- and post-implementation groups, respectively. Following implementation of the GAS RADT, there was an increase in the number of antibiotics prescribed for GAS (43.4% vs 59.1%, P < .001) as well as an increase in appropriate prescribing (67.6% vs 77.5%, P < .001). More 30-day pharyngitis-related follow-up visits were seen in the pre-intervention group (12.5% vs 9.3%, P = .03). Conclusion: Implementation of a RADT for GAS pharyngitis was associated with an increase in both the overall number of antibiotic prescriptions for GAS and the proportion of appropriately prescribed antibiotics. There was also a reduction in follow up visits related to GAS pharyngitis, however educational efforts to further increase appropriate prescribing is needed.

Extraglottic Airway Device Misplacement: A Novel Classification System and Findings in Postmortem Computed Tomography.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Extraglottic airway devices are frequently used during cardiac arrest resuscitations and for failed intubation attempts. Recent literature suggests that many extraglottic airway devices are misplaced. The aim of this study is to create a classification system for extraglottic airway device misplacement and describe its frequency in a cohort of decedents who died with an extraglottic airway device in situ. METHODS: We assembled a cohort of all decedents who died with an extraglottic airway device in situ and underwent postmortem computed tomographic (CT) imaging at the state medical examiner's office during a 6-year period, using retrospective data. An expert panel developed a novel extraglottic airway device misplacement classification system. We then applied the schema in reviewing postmortem CT for extraglottic airway device position and potential complications. RESULTS: We identified 341 eligible decedents. The median age was 47.0 years (interquartile range 32 to 59 years). Out-of-hospital personnel placed extraglottic airway devices in 265 patients (77.7%) who subsequently died out of hospital; the remainder died inhospital. The classification system consisted of 6 components: depth, size, rotation, device kinking, mechanical blockage of ventilation opening, and injury. Under the system, extraglottic airway devices were found to be misplaced in 49 cases (14.4%), including 5 (1.5%) that resulted in severe injuries. CONCLUSION: We created a novel extraglottic airway device misplacement classification system. Misplacement occurred in greater than 14% of cases. Severe traumatic complications occurred rarely. Quality improvement activities should include review of extraglottic airway device placement when CT images are available and use the classification system to describe misplacements.

CT imaging of extraglottic airway device-pictorial review.

Compared to intubation with a cuffed endotracheal tube, extraglottic airway devices (EGDs), such as laryngeal mask airways, are considered less definitive ventilation conduit devices and are therefore often exchanged via endotracheal intubation (ETI) prior to obtaining CT images. With more widespread use and growing comfort among providers, reports have now described use of EGDs for up to 24 h including cases for which clinicians obtained CT scans with an EGD in situ. The term EGD encompasses a wide variety of devices with more complex structure and CT appearance compared to ETI. All EGDs are typically placed without direct visualization and require less training and time for insertion compared to ETI. While blind insertion generally results in functional positioning, numerous studies have reported misplacements of EGDs identified by CT in the emergency department or post-mortem. A CT-based classification system has recently been suggested to categorize these misplacements in six dimensions: depth, size, rotation, device kinking, mechanical blockage of the ventilation opening(s), and injury from EGD placement. Identifying the type of EGD and its correct placement is critically important both to provide prompt feedback to clinicians and prevent inappropriate medicolegal problems. In this review, we introduce the main types of EGDs, demonstrate their appearance on CT images, and describe examples of misplacements.

New classifications for Life-threatening foreign body airway obstruction.

INTRODUCTION: Foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) is a common medical emergency; however, few studies of life-threatening FBAO have been reported and no standard classification system is available. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated patients who presented to the emergency departments of two hospitals and were diagnosed with FBAO. The primary outcome was cerebral performance category (CPC) score at discharge. To establish a new classification system for FBAO, FBAO was classified into three types based on the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the obstructed airway. RESULTS: A total of 137 patients were enrolled. Median age was 79.0 years. The most common cause of FBAO was meat, followed by bread, rice cake, and rice. Of all patients, 65.7% suffered cardiac arrest and 51.1% died. In contrast, 28.5% had favorable neurological outcomes, defined as CPC 1 and 2. Upper airway obstruction (type 1) was the most common (type 1, 78.1%), while trachea and/or bilateral main bronchus obstruction (type 2, 12.4%) showed significantly higher mortality than type 1 obstruction (82.4% vs 47.7%, P = 0.0078). Patients with unilateral bronchus and/or distal bronchus obstruction (type 3, 9.5%) were significantly more likely to consume a dysphagia diet than type 1 patients (23.1% vs 0%, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The majority of patients with life-threatening FBAO were elderly and had poor neurological outcomes. Our new classification system divides FBAO into three types, and revealed that mortality was significantly higher with type 2 than type 1 obstruction. This classification system may improve the management of patients with FBAO and assessment of patient outcomes.

Should we resuscitate elderly patients with blunt traumatic cardiac arrest? Analysis of National Trauma Registry Data in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: Recent studies suggest that survival after traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) has been improving. Many elderly adults enjoy active lifestyles, which occasionally result in TCA. The epidemiology and efficacy of resuscitative procedures on blunt TCA in elderly patients are largely unknown. Our primary aim was to compare the survival to discharge following blunt TCA between non-elderly adult (ages 18-59 years) and elderly patients (age ≥60 years). METHODS: We analysed 2004-2015 observational cohort data from a nationwide trauma registry in Japan. We included all adult patients (18 years and older) who experienced blunt TCA. We excluded patients missing data for age, survival, mechanism of injury or initial vital signs. Resuscitative procedures included thoracotomy and resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta. We compared survival for elderly patients (age ≥60 years old) to younger adults. RESULTS: Of 8347 patients with blunt TCA, 3547 (42.5%) were elderly. Survival differed significantly by age: 164/4800 (3.4%) of younger adults survived whereas 188/3547 (5.3%) of elderly patients survived (p<0.001). Survival increased but Injury Severity Scores (ISSs) declined with increasing patient age. The efficacy of resuscitative procedures did not vary by age. In logistic regression models, increasing age was independently associated with better survival. CONCLUSION: In a cohort of patients with blunt TCA, survival increased with increasing patient age. A number of patients with low ISS in the elderly group raises the possibility that this improved survival is due to preceding or concomitant medical cardiac arrest in the older cohort. Clinicians should be cautious about applying TCA algorithms to elderly patients and should not be discouraged from resuscitating TCA because of patient age.

Procedural sedation and analgesia in the emergency department in Japan: interim analysis of multicenter prospective observational study.

PURPOSE: Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) is widely performed outside of the operating theater, often in emergency departments (EDs). The practice and safety of PSA in the ED in an aging society such as in Japan have not been well described. We aimed to characterize the practice pattern of PSA including indications, pharmacology and incidence of adverse events (AEs) in Japan. METHODS: We formed the Japanese Procedural Sedation and Analgesia Registry, a multicenter prospective observation registry of ED patients undergoing PSA. We included all patients who received PSA in the ED. PSA was defined as any systemic pharmacological intervention intended to facilitate a painful or uncomfortable procedure. The main variables in this study were patients' demographics, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status, indication of PSA, medication choices, and AEs. The primary outcome measure was overall AEs from PSA. RESULTS: We enrolled 332 patients in four EDs during the 12-month period. The median age was 67 years (IQR, 46-78). In terms of ASA physical status, 79 (23.8%), 172 (51.8%), and 81 (24.4%) patients were class 1, 2, 3 or higher, respectively. The most common indication was cardioversion (44.0%). The most common sedative used was thiopental (38.9%), followed by midazolam (34.0%) and propofol (19.6%). Among all patients, 72 (21.7%, 95% confidence interval, 17-26) patients experienced one or more AEs. The most common AE was hypoxia (9.9%), followed by apnea (7.2%) and hypotension (3.5%). All of the AEs were transient and no patient had a serious AE. CONCLUSION: In a multicenter prospective registry in Japan, PSA in the ED appears safe particularly since the patients who underwent PSA were older and had a higher risk profile compared to patients in previous studies in different countries.

Electronic Cigarette Explosion Resulting in a C1 and C2 Fracture: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Electronic cigarettes have seen a drastic increase in use. A lithium-ion battery is often used as the rechargeable battery of the electronic cigarette device and has recently received much attention in terms of safety. There are several recent case reports in the scientific literature of injuries due to electronic cigarette explosions that involved soft-tissue injuries. CASE REPORT: We report a significant spinal fracture from an electronic-cigarette explosion in a 27-year-old male. The electronic cigarette exploded during use, sending the mouthpiece through the pharynx and into the first cervical vertebra and resulting in fractures of the first and second vertebrae. An x-ray study of the neck showed a foreign body in the neck at the level of C1. A computed tomography scan of the neck showed fractures of C1. The foreign body was removed in the operating room. The patient was discharged home without neurologic sequelae. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Our case report is the first case of a cervical spine injury due to the explosion of an electronic cigarette. This case demonstrates that an electronic cigarette explosion can cause potentially serious penetrating neck injury. Emergency physicians should be aware of the potential danger of electronic cigarettes and have a low threshold to obtain radiographic tests and surgical consultation in the case of electronic cigarette explosion in the oral cavity. As the use of electronic cigarettes continue to increase, it is likely that injuries associated with them will also increase.

Long-Awaited Evidence on Back Blows Versus Abdominal Thrusts.

This is a commentary on the study conducted by Dunne et al. from Alberta, Canada, which retrospectively analyzed data from patients with foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) in the region. By linking the region's prehospital data with hospital data, the authors were able to report not only the FBAO relief of each intervention, but also patient survival outcomes and complications associated with the interventions. By analyzing the 709 patient encounters that received BLS interventions from bystanders, paramedics, or both, and adjusting for potential confounders, the study showed that abdominal thrusts and chest compressions were associated with decreased odds of FBAO relief compared to back blows as the first intervention. The commentary summarizes the study findings and discusses the importance of the study in the context of FBAO research, which has been choked for too many years.

Performance of a Large Language Model on Japanese Emergency Medicine Board Certification Examinations.

BACKGROUND: Emergency physicians need a broad range of knowledge and skills to address critical medical, traumatic, and environmental conditions. Artificial intelligence (AI), including large language models (LLMs), has potential applications in healthcare settings; however, the performance of LLMs in emergency medicine remains unclear. METHODS: To evaluate the reliability of information provided by ChatGPT, an LLM was given the questions set by the Japanese Association of Acute Medicine in its board certification examinations over a period of 5 years (2018-2022) and programmed to answer them twice. Statistical analysis was used to assess agreement of the two responses. RESULTS: The LLM successfully answered 465 of the 475 text-based questions, achieving an overall correct response rate of 62.3%. For questions without images, the rate of correct answers was 65.9%. For questions with images that were not explained to the LLM, the rate of correct answers was only 52.0%. The annual rates of correct answers to questions without images ranged from 56.3% to 78.8%. Accuracy was better for scenario-based questions (69.1%) than for stand-alone questions (62.1%). Agreement between the two responses was substantial (kappa = 0.70). Factual error accounted for 82% of the incorrectly answered questions. CONCLUSION: An LLM performed satisfactorily on an emergency medicine board certification examination in Japanese and without images. However, factual errors in the responses highlight the need for physician oversight when using LLMs.

The effects of bystander interventions for foreign body airway obstruction on survival and neurological outcomes: Findings of the MOCHI registry.

INTRODUCTION: Foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) is a life-threatening condition. We aimed to quantify the impact of bystander FBAO interventions on survival and neurological outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a Japan-wide prospective, multi-center, observational study including all FBAO patients who presented to the Emergency Department from April 2020 to March 2023. Information on bystander FBAO interventions was collected through interviews with emergency medical services personnel. Primary outcomes included 1-month survival and favorable neurologic outcome defined as Cerebral Performance Category 1 or 2. We performed a multivariable logistic regression and a Cox proportional hazards modeling to adjust for confounders. RESULTS: We analyzed a total of 407 patients in the registry who had the median age of 82 years old (IQR 73-88). The FBAO incidents were often witnessed (86.5%, n = 352/407) and the witnesses intervened in just over half of the cases (54.5%, n = 192/352). The incidents frequently occurred at home (54.3%, n = 221/407) and nursing home (21.6%, n = 88/407). Common first interventions included suction (24.8%, n = 101/407) and back blow (20.9%, n = 85/407). The overall success rate of bystander interventions was 48.4% (n = 93/192). About half (48.2%, n = 196/407) survived to 1-month and 23.8% patients (n = 97/407) had a favorable neurological outcome. Adjusting for pre-specified confounders, bystander interventions were independently associated with survival (hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.39-0.77) and a favorable neurological outcome (adjusted OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.23-3.95). CONCLUSION: Bystander interventions were independently associated with survival and favorable neurological outcome, however, they were performed only in the half of patients.

An unbroken ring of the chain of survival.

This is a commentary on the study conducted by Kennedy et al. from Victoria, Australia, that analyzed the cohort of all adult EMS-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients in the region and compared patients treated during the COVID-19 period to a historical comparator period. The commentary summarizes the study findings and discusses the importance of the study in the context of the chain of survival and changes in airway management for OHCA patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Incidence of adverse events for procedural sedation and analgesia for cardioversion using thiopental in elderly patients: a multicenter prospective observational study.

Aim: The incidence and characteristics of thiopental-related adverse events (AEs) in elderly patients during procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) have not been well studied. We aimed to characterize thiopental-related AE in elderly patients during PSA and compare the incidence of AE in elderly patients with non-elderly adults. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the Japanese Procedural Sedation and Analgesia Registry (JPSTAR). We included all adult patients who received thiopental for PSA in the emergency departments and excluded patients who received concomitant sedative(s) in addition to thiopental or patients with missing body weight data. We compared the incidence of AE between the non-elderly (18-64 years) and elderly groups (≥65 years). Results: The JPSTAR had data on 379 patients who received thiopental for PSA and included 311 patients for analysis. Most (222/311, 71.3%) were elderly. Cardioversion was the most common reason for PSA (96.1%). The AE incidence between groups overall was similar, however, hypoxia was significantly more frequent in the elderly compared with the non-elderly group (10.3% versus 2.2%; adjusted odds 5.63, 95% confidence interval 1.27-25.0). The initial and total doses of thiopental were significantly lower in the elderly group than in the non-elderly group (1.95 mg/kg versus 2.21 mg/kg and 2.33 mg/kg versus 2.93 mg/kg, respectively). Conclusions: Although elderly patients received lower doses of thiopental, hypoxic events were significantly more frequent in this group compared with the non-elderly patients. However, the AE incidence was similar.

Association between capnography and recovery time after procedural sedation and analgesia in the emergency department.

Aim: Capnography is recommended for use in procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA); however, limited studies assess its impact on recovery time. We investigated the association between capnography and the recovery time of PSA in the emergency department (ED). Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of a multicenter PSA patient registry including eight hospitals in Japan. We included all patients who received PSA in the ED between May 2017 and May 2021 and divided the patients into capnography and no-capnography groups. The primary outcome was recovery time, defined as the time from the end of the procedure to the cessation of monitoring. The log-rank test and multivariable analysis using clustering for institutions were performed. Results: Of the 1265 screened patients, 943 patients who received PSA were enrolled and categorized into the capnography (n = 150, 16%) and no-capnography (n = 793, 84%) groups. The median recovery time was 40 (interquartile range [IQR]: 25-63) min in the capnography group and 30 (IQR: 14-55) min in the no-capnography group. In the log-rank test, the recovery time was significantly longer in the capnography group (p = 0.03) than in the no-capnography group. In the multivariable analysis, recovery time did not differ between the two groups (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.95; 95% confidence interval, 0.77-1.17; p = 0.61). Conclusion: In this secondary analysis of the multicenter registry of PSA in Japan, capnography use did not associate with shorter recovery time in the ED.