Significance of a Simulation for the Relocation of an Intensive Care Unit.

There have been few reports concerning simulation drills for the relocation of severely ill or injured patients treated in intensive care units (ICUs). We herein report our experience of one such simulation drill. It is a Narrative method. A simulation drill was performed on a weekday 2 weeks prior to the actual relocation. We selected 3 mock patients. The first one was a severely ill and unstable patient, the second had severe stroke, and the third had severe trauma. After the simulation, the average transportation time was 15 minutes. The simulation revealed that mock patients with a percutaneous cardiopulmonary support system and intra-aortic balloon pumping in a standard ICU bed could not be accommodated in the elevator. Furthermore, working the elevator controls resulted in wasted time while transferring the patients. As a result, the number of people, who controlled the elevator, was therefore increased during the actual relocation. During the actual relocation, all patients were transported safely and more quickly than predicted based on the results of the simulation drill. Most physicians and paramedical staff have little experience with relocating ICUs, so a simulation drill was necessary to ensure the safe and prompt transport of patients.

Transportation of Medical Staff by Helicopter to Manage a Concealed Delivery at Home.

An unmarried pregnant woman felt lower abdominal pain. She rested in bed in her room on the second floor in her home. The next day she performed a delivery by herself. After the neonate cried, her parents noticed the birth and called an ambulance. After receiving the first call, the fire department decided to request the dispatch of a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service in Eastern Shizuoka, in addition to dispatching an ambulance. After receiving the request, the helicopter emergency medical service transported 1 neonatal intensive care unit physician along with the original medical staff members of the fire department. Then, the 3 medical staff members were transported to the home by another ambulance. When emergency medical technicians climbed up a steep narrow ladder to enter the room, both the mother and female neonate were connected by the umbilical cord. Their vital signs were stable. At 30 minutes after delivery, the medical staff reached the mother and neonate and cut the umbilical cord. The mother and neonate were evacuated separately from the room but transported in the same ambulance. The ambulance transported them with the medical staff members to our hospital directly. Their postadmission courses were uneventful, and they were discharged. This is the first case report to send medical staff members to the patient's home by helicopter and ambulance to provide medical intervention for the neonate and her mother. Further prospective studies are needed in the future to determine whether this action could lead to favorable outcomes in both neonates and maternal bodies.

A Diving Accident Checklist in Izu Peninsula can be Associated with Some Pitfalls.

Objectives: We retrospectively investigated the degree of completion of the checklist during or immediately after diving accident, who were transported by a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS). Methods: From May 2016 to December 2020, we conducted a retrospective the diving accident checklist review of all patients with diving accident, who were transported by HEMS. If all questions of the diving accident checklist were answered, full marks were 40 points. Subjects were divided into two groups: the Arrest group, which included subjects who became cardiac arrest in prehospital setting, and the Control group. Results: A total of 86 patients with diving accident were transported by the HEMS. Among these patients, there were 16 subjects in the Arrest group and 70 in the Control group. Average total score in the Arrest group were significantly smaller than those in the Control group. Conclusions: Degree of completion of the diving accident checklist in cases with cardiac arrest was low in comparison with cases without cardiac arrest. To improve this, further approach based on several remedies will be required in the future.

The Significance of a Cooperative Medical System for Treating Decompression Illness on the Izu Peninsula in Japan.

INTRODUCTION: In 2011, our hospital on the Izu peninsula began to hold meetings to discuss how to manage patients with decompression illness (DCI) to establish a cooperative medical system. We retrospectively investigated the influence of these meetings and the changes subsequently effected. METHODS: A medical chart review was retrospectively performed to investigate all cases between January 2005 and December 2017 in which the transport of patients with DCI via a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) was attempted. The patients were divided into 2 groups: the preprogram group and the postprogram group. RESULTS: There were 63 patients in the preprogram group and 65 in the postprogram group. There were no cases in which a patient's symptoms deteriorated during transportation by the HEMS. The frequency of dispatch to the scene for direct evacuation in the postprogram group (86%) was greater than that in the preprogram group (74%), but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.09). In the postprogram group, the duration of activities at the scene or the first aid hospital was significantly shorter in comparison to the preprogram group (P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective study revealed simultaneity between the introduction of the yearly meetings and a reduced duration of the HEMS staff's activity at either the scene or the first aid hospital.