Hospital Planning and Response to an Active Shooter Incident: Preparing for the n = 1.

Changing patterns of violence in the United States and around the world are increasingly manifest as acts of mass violence and acts of terrorism. Preventing such attacks, reducing harms, and maintaining operations following such events requires the bolstering of key infrastructure facilities, such as hospitals, and developing response plans capable of detecting and withstanding such attacks. Attacks occurring in a hospital or clinic present unique challenges that differ from workplaces or schools. This article provides an overview of active shooter incidents occurring within health care facilities, and the fundamental knowledge on how to respond and manage these challenging situations.

Review, clinical update, and practice guidelines for excited delirium syndrome.

Excited delirium syndrome (ExDS) is a term used to describe patients experiencing a clinical condition characterized by bizarre and aggressive behavior, often in association with the use of chronic sympathomimetic drug abuse. The agitated and disruptive behavior of persons with ExDS often results in a call to police resulting in an arrest for disorderly conduct. The suspect's inability to comply with police commands during the arrest frequently results in a struggle and the use of physical or chemical control measures, including the use of conductive energy weapons (CEWs). Deaths from this hypermetabolic syndrome are infrequent but potentially preventable with early identification, a coordinated aggressive police intervention, and prompt medical care. Preliminary experiences suggest that ExDS is a medical emergency treated most effectively using a coordinated response between police officers and emergency medical providers. Once the person suspected of experiencing ExDS is in custody, medical providers should rapidly sedate noncompliant patients with medications such as ketamine or an antipsychotic drug such as haloperidol in combination with a benzodiazepine drug such as midazolam or diazepam. Once sedated, patients should undergo a screening medical assessment and undergo initial treatment for conditions such as hyperthermia and dehydration. All patients exhibiting signs of ExDS should be transported rapidly to a medical treatment facility for further evaluation and treatment. This article reviews the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment options for ExDS.

Percutaneous pigtail catheter in the treatment of pneumothorax in major burns: the best alternative? Case report and review of literature.

Multiple factors place burn patients at a high risk of pneumothorax development. Currently, no specific recommendations for the management of pneumothorax in large total body surface area (TBSA) burn patients exist. We present a case of a major burn patient who developed pneumothorax after central line insertion. After the traditional large bore (24 Fr) chest tube failed to resolve the pneumothorax, the pneumothorax was ultimately managed by a percutaneous placed pigtail catheter thoracostomy placement and resulted in its complete resolution. We will review the current recommendations of pneumothorax treatment and will highlight on the use of pigtail catheters in pneumothorax management in burn patients.

Clinical encounters in tactical medicine: a mission-specific analysis of the Maryland State Police experience.

INTRODUCTION: The Maryland State Police (MSP) Tactical Medical Unit (TMU) provides tactical emergency medical support (TEMS) through the deployment of specially trained state trooper tactical paramedics. The MSP TMU maintains an operational database of all mission related medical activity. This information constitutes a robust dataset derived from real world operational medicine experiences. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of de-identified entries from the MSP TMU operational response database was performed for the 5-year period of 2007?2013. A summative analysis of missions, as well as a subgroup analysis of types of patients encountered, was performed to further characterize patient encounters based on the type of law enforcement tactical mission. RESULTS: Analysis was performed on 1,042 tactical missions, of which there were 367 total patient encounters during the study period. The majority (67%; 246/367) of patients encountered were law enforcement tactical team personnel. The most frequently occurring mission, by type, was high-risk warrant service, accounting for 45% (470/1,042) of all missions in this series. Law enforcement training support missions comprised 25% (259/1,042), and 15% (157/1,042) of all missions in the database were medical standbys for law enforcement operations. The highest number of patient contacts were associated with training activities, resulting in 29% (108/367) of clinical encounters. The next most common mission associated with patient encounters was high-risk warrant service (24%; 88/367). CONCLUSION: The 5-year analysis conducted in this study represents the largest known retrospective assessment of a state police tactical medical program. Training activities resulted in the highest number of patient encounters by this program, with law enforcement/tactical team personnel comprising the majority of patient encounters. The majority of chief complaints encountered were non?life threatening and reinforce the need for expanded scope of practice training and enhanced treatment protocols for tactical medics.

Development of a National Consensus for Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) Training Programs--Operators and Medical Providers.

INTRODUCTION: Tactical teams are at high risk of sustaining injuries. Caring for these casualties in the field involves unique requirements beyond what is provided by traditional civilian emergency medical services (EMS) systems. Despite this need, the training objectives and competencies are not uniformly agreed to or taught. METHODS: An expert panel was convened that included members from the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and Health and Human Services, as well as federal, state, and local law-enforcement officers who were recruited through requests to stakeholder agencies and open invitations to individuals involved in Tactical Emergency Medical Services (TEMS) or its oversight. Two face-to-face meetings took place. Using a modified Delphi technique, previously published TEMS competencies were reviewed and updated. RESULTS: The original 17 competency domains were modified and the most significant changes were the addition of Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC), Tactical Familiarization, Legal Aspects of TEMS, and Mass Casualty Triage to the competency domains. Additionally, enabling and terminal learning objectives were developed for each competency domain. CONCLUSION: This project has developed a minimum set of medical competencies and learning objectives for both tactical medical providers and operators. This work should serve as a platform for ensuring minimum knowledge among providers, which will serve enhance team interoperability and improve the health and safety of tactical teams and the public.

Rice-based electrolyte drinks more effective than water in replacing sweat losses during hot weather training and operations.

Heat-related injury presents significant threats to the health and operational effectiveness of Soldiers and military operations. In 2012, active component, U.S. Armed Forces experienced 365 incident cases of heat stroke and 2,257 incident cases of ?other heat injury.? Most of these occurred among recruit and enlisted personnel and most were under the age of 30. In conditioned military personnel, a rice-based oral rehydration solution was superior to water alone at maintaining body weight and, by inference, enabled Soldiers to better maintain their the state of hydration during prolonged exercise in high ambient temperatures. In view of the health risks associated with dehydration and their effects on training and operations, this study suggests that the consumption of beverages containing electrolytes and a rice-based carbohydrate is superior to the consumption of water alone in preventing dehydration and heat related illness.

Recovery room delirium predicts postoperative delirium after hip-fracture repair.

UNLABELLED: In this study, we sought to determine the incidence of recovery room delirium in elderly patients having hip-fracture repair under general anesthesia and to discover whether recovery room delirium is associated with continuing postoperative delirium. In this prospective study, patients undergoing hip-fracture repair were anesthetized using a standardized protocol. In addition, postoperative pain management was standardized in both the postoperative anesthesia care unit and in the hospital ward. The presence of delirium was determined using the confusion assessment method (CAM) score. Recovery room delirium was assessed by obtaining a CAM score at 60 min after discontinuation of isoflurane. Postoperative delirium was assessed by obtaining a daily CAM score during the postoperative in-hospital recovery period. Fifty patients consented to the study and 47 patients were included in the analysis (surgery cancelled postinduction n = 1; nonadherence to protocol n = 2). Average patient age was 77 +/- 1 (mean +/- SE) yr (range, 56-98 yr). Seventy-seven percent of the study patients were ASA class III or more. The prevalence of recovery room delirium was 45%. The prevalence of postoperative delirium was 36%. Recovery room delirium predicted postoperative delirium (P < 0.001, Fisher's exact test) with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 85%. Analgesic doses administered in the postoperative anesthesia care unit and ward were similar in patients with or without postoperative delirium. Results of this study show that recovery room delirium is a strong predictor of postoperative delirium. IMPLICATIONS: In patients undergoing hip-fracture repair, recovery room delirium is a strong predictor of postoperative delirium when using a standardized protocol for general anesthesia and postoperative pain management.