Effectiveness and safety of tourniquet utilization for civilian vascular extremity trauma in the pre-hospital settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Tourniquets (TQ) have been increasingly adopted in pre-hospital settings recently. This study examined the effectiveness and safety of applying TQ in the pre-hospital settings for civilian patients with traumatic vascular injuries to the extremities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We systematically searched the Ovid Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases from their inception to June 2023. We compared pre-hospital TQ (PH-TQ) use to no PH-TQ, defined as a TQ applied after hospital arrival or no TQ use at all, for civilian vascular extremity trauma patients. The primary outcome was overall mortality rate, and the secondary outcomes were blood product use and hospital stay. We analyzed TQ-related complications as safety outcomes. We tried to include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies (including non-RCTs, interrupted time series, controlled before-and-after studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies), if available. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated and the certainty of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. RESULTS: Seven studies involving 4,095 patients were included. In the primary outcome, pre-hospital TQ (PH-TQ) use significantly decrease mortality rate in patients with extremity trauma (odds ratio [OR], 0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27-0.86, I2 = 47%). Moreover, the use of PH-TQ showed the decreasing trend of utilization of blood products, such as packed red blood cells (mean difference [MD]: -2.1 [unit], 95% CI: -5.0 to 0.8, I2 = 99%) or fresh frozen plasma (MD: -1.0 [unit], 95% CI: -4.0 to 2.0, I2 = 98%); however, both are not statistically significant. No significant differences were observed in the lengths of hospital and intensive care unit stays. For the safety outcomes, PH-TQ use did not significantly increase risk of amputation (OR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.43 to 1.68, I2 = 60%) or compartment syndrome (OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.37 to 2.35, I2 = 0%). The certainty of the evidence was very low across all outcomes. CONCLUSION: The current data suggest that, in the pre-hospital settings, PH-TQ use for civilian patients with vascular traumatic injury of the extremities decreased mortality and tended to decrease blood transfusions. This did not increase the risk of amputation or compartment syndrome significantly.

Modified physiologic criteria for the field triage scheme: Efficacy of major trauma recognition in different age groups in Asia.

BACKGROUND: Major trauma is a leading cause of unexpected death globally, with increasing age-adjusted death rates for unintentional injuries. Field triage schemes (FTSs) assist emergency medical technicians in identifying appropriate medical care facilities for patients. While full FTSs may improve sensitivity, step-by-step field triage is time-consuming. A simplified FTS (sFTS) that uses only physiological and anatomical criteria may offer a more rapid decision-making process. However, evidence for this approach is limited, and its performance in identifying all age groups requiring trauma center resources in Asia remains unclear. METHODS: We conducted a multinational retrospective cohort study involving adult trauma patients admitted to emergency departments in the included countries from 2016 to 2020. Prehospital and hospital data were reviewed from the Pan-Asia Trauma Outcomes Study database. Patients aged ≥18 years transported by emergency medical services were included. Patients lacking data regarding age, sex, physiological criteria, or injury severity scores were excluded. We examined the performance of sFTS in all age groups and fine-tuned physiological criteria to improve sFTS performance in identifying high-risk trauma patients in different age groups. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of the physiological and anatomical criteria for identifying major trauma (injury severity score ≥ 16) were 80.6% and 58.8%, respectively. The modified sFTS showed increased sensitivity and decreased specificity, with more pronounced changes in the young age group. Adding the shock index further increased sensitivity in both age groups. CONCLUSIONS: sFTS using only physiological and anatomical criteria is suboptimal for Asian adult patients with trauma of all age groups. Adjusting the physiological criteria and adding a shock index as a triage tool can improve the sensitivity of severely injured patients, particularly in young age groups. A swift field triage process can maintain acceptable sensitivity and specificity in severely injured patients.

Comparing the effects of blended learning and traditional instruction on basic life support for laypersons: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Blended learning offers the advantages of both instructor-led and self-instruction methods in basic life support (BLS). Our study aims to compare the effects of blended learning with those of traditional instructor-led methods on the performance of laypersons taking BLS courses. METHODS: A total of 108 participants were randomly assigned to three groups: traditional instruction (group A, n = 36), blended learning with two rounds of practice (group B, n = 36), and blended learning with three rounds of practice (group C, n = 36). Group A received a 90-min lecture and a 30-min hands-on practice session using a manikin and a metronome. Participants in groups B and C received 18-min standardized online video lessons and performed hands-on practice twice and thrice, respectively. The primary outcome was chest compression at a correct speed (100-120 compressions per min) after the training course. Secondary outcomes included knowledge test scores, attitudes and confidence, and individual skill performance after training. RESULTS: Patient characteristics were similar between the groups. Blended learning with practicing thrice resulted in the highest compressions at a correct speed (group A vs. B vs. C, 68.09 vs 80.03 vs 89.42, p = 0.015) and the shortest average hands-off time (group A vs. B vs. C, 1.12 vs 0.86 vs 0.17 s, p = 0.015). Both blended groups performed better in confirming environmental safety (p < 0.001). No differences in scores of the knowledge test, attitude, or confidence were noted among the three groups. CONCLUSION: Blended learning with three rounds of hands-on practice may be considered an alternative teaching method.

Effect of crew ratio of advanced life support-trained personnel on patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: This review aimed to investigate the effect of crew ratios of on-scene advanced life support (ALS)-trained personnel on patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Ovid EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases from the inception date until September 30, 2022, for eligible studies. Two reviewers independently screened the studies for relevance, extracted data, and quality. We compared the effect of the ratio of on-scene ALS-trained personnel >50 % to those with a ratio ≤50 % among prehospital personnel on the clinical outcomes of OHCA patients. The primary outcome was survival-to-discharge and secondary outcomes were any return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), sustained ROSC (≥2 h), and favourable neurological outcome at discharge (cerebral performance category scores: 1 or 2). Pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated, and the certainty of evidence was assessed. RESULTS: From 10,864 references, we identified four non-randomised studies, including 16,475 patients. Two studies were performed in Japan and two in Taiwan. There were significant differences in survival-to-discharge (OR: 1.24, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-1.44, I2: 7 %), any ROSC (OR:1.22, 95 % CI: 1.04-1.43, I2: 74 %) and sustained ROSC (OR: 1.39, 95 % CI: 1.16-1.65, I2: 40 %), but insignificant differences in favourable neurological outcome at discharge. The overall certainty of evidence was rated as very low for all outcomes. CONCLUSION: Prehospital ALS care with a ratio of on-scene ALS-trained personnel >50 % could improve OHCA patient outcomes than crew ratios ≤50 %. Further studies are required to reach a robust conclusion.

Disparities in layperson resuscitation education: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this scoping review was to identify factors that would enable or hinder the opportunity for laypersons to undertake resuscitation education. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) to identify studies published from January 1, 1966 to December 31, 2022 including factors that could influence laypersons to undertake resuscitation education. Data regarding participant characteristics, interventions, and design and outcomes of included studies were extracted. RESULTS: Of the initially identified 6627 studies, 23 studies (20 cross-sectional and 3 cohort studies) were finally included. Among them, a wide variety of enablers and barriers were identified. High heterogeneity among studies was observed. We categorized factors into three themes: personal factors (age, sex, race, family status, language, prior experience of resuscitation, and immigration status), socioeconomic and educational factors (income, societal status, occupation and legislation, and educational attainment), and geographic factors (birthplace and habitancy). Several barriers were identified that affect laypersons from participating in resuscitation training, such as personal factors like advanced age, lower socioeconomic and educational status, as well as being part of marginalized groups due to race or language barriers. On the other hand, several enablers identified in the study included prior experiences of witnessing someone collapsing, awareness of automated external defibrillators in public locations, certain occupations, or legal requirements for training. CONCLUSIONS: Various barriers and enablers were found to influence laypersons to participate in resuscitation training. To enhance layperson response to cardiac arrest, targeted initiatives that aim to eliminate barriers need to be initiated, and further research is required to explore factors relating to populations with special needs.

Video characteristics for remote recognition of agonal respiration: A pilot study.

Aim: The mobile network quality in ambulances can be variable and limited. This pilot study aimed to identify a suitable network setting for recognizing agonal respiration under limited network conditions. Methods: We recruited five emergency medical technicians, and each participant viewed 30 real-life videos with different resolutions, frame rates, and network scenarios. Thereafter, they reported the respiration pattern of the patient and identified agonal respiration cases. The time at which agonal respiration was identified was also recorded. The answers provided by the five participants were compared with those of two emergency physicians to compare the accuracy and time delay in breathing pattern recognition. Results: The overall accuracy for initial respiratory pattern recognition was 80.7% (121/150). The accuracy for normal breathing was 93.3% (28/30), for not breathing was 96% (48/50), and for agonal breathing was 64.3% (45/70). There was no significant difference in successful recognition between video resolutions. However, the rate of time delay in recognizing agonal respiration less than 10 seconds between 15-fps group and 30-fps group had statistical significance (21% vs 52%, p = 0.041). Conclusion: The frame rate emerges as one of critical factors in agonal respiration recognition through telemedicine, outweighing the significance of video resolution.

The effect of point-of-care ultrasound on length of stay and mortality in patients with chest pain/dyspnea.

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the effects of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) on length of stay (LOS) and mortality in hemodynamically stable patients with chest pain/dyspnea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The prospective study was conducted from June 2020 to May 2021. A convenience sample of adult non-traumatic patients with chest pain/dyspnea was included and evaluated by PoCUS. The primary outcome was the relationship between the door-to-PoCUS time and LOS/mortality categorized by the ST-segment elevation (STE) and non-STE on the initial electrocardiogram. The diagnostic accuracy of PoCUS was computed, compared to the final diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 465 patients were included. 3 of 18 patients with STE had unexpected cardiac tamponade and 1 had myocarditis with pulmonary edema. PoCUS had a minimal effect on LOS and mortality in patients with STE. In the non-STE group, the shorter door-to-PoCUS time was associated with a shorter LOS (coefficient, 1.26±0.47, p=0.008). After categorizing the timing of PoCUS as 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes, PoCUS had a positive effect, especially when performed within 90 minutes of arrival, on LOS of less than 360 minutes (OR, 2.42, 95% CI, 1.61-3.64) and patient survival (OR, 3.32, 95% CI, 1.14-9.71). The overall diagnostic performance of PoCUS was 96.6% (95% CI, 94.9-98.2%), but lower efficacy occurred in pulmonary embolism and myocardial infarction. CONCLUSION: The use of PoCUS was associated with a shorter LOS and less mortality in patients with non-STE, especially when performed within 90 minutes of arrival. Although the effect on patients with STE was minimal, PoCUS played a role in discovering unexpected diagnoses.

Faculty Development Approaches for Life Support Courses: A Scoping Review.

The aim of this scoping review initiated by the Education, Implementation and Teams Task Force of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation was to identify faculty development approaches to improve instructional competence in accredited life support courses. We searched PubMed, Ovid Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify studies published from January 1, 1966 to December 31, 2021 on approaches to improve faculty development for life support courses. Data on participant characteristics, interventions, design, and outcomes of included studies were extracted. Of the initially identified 10 310 studies, we included 20 studies (5 conference abstracts, 1 short communication, 14 full-length articles). Among them, 12 studies aimed to improve instructors/candidates' teaching ability in basic life support courses. A wide variety of interventions were identified. The interventions were categorized into 4 themes: instructor qualification/training (n=9), assessment tools (n=3), teaching skills enhancement (n=3), and additional courses for instructors (n=5). Most studies showed that these interventions improved specific teaching ability or confidence of the instructors and learning outcomes in different kinds of life support courses. However, no studies addressed clinical outcomes of patients. In conclusion, the faculty development approaches for instructors are generally associated with improved learning outcomes for participants, and also improved teaching ability and self-confidence of the instructors. It is encouraged that local organizations implement faculty development programs for their teaching staff of their accredited resuscitation courses. Further studies should explore the best ways to strengthen and maintain instructor competency, and define the cost-effectiveness of various different faculty development strategies.

Earlier point-of-care ultrasound, shorter length of stay in patients with acute flank pain.

BACKGROUND: The effects of early integration of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) into patient care are uncertain. This study aims to investigate the effects of early PoCUS on patients with acute flank pain. METHODS: Adult non-traumatic patients with acute flank pain receiving PoCUS were enrolled. Expert physicians reviewed the medical records and made the "final diagnosis" for the cause of acute flank pain. The primary outcome was the relationship between the door to ultrasound (US) time and length of stay (LOS). The secondary outcomes included the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the sonographic diagnosis, compared with the final diagnosis. RESULTS: Eight hundred and eighty-eight patients were included in the analysis. Patients receiving early PoCUS (≤120 min) had a shorter LOS (128 vs. 217 min, p < 0.0001). Patients in the late POCUS group (> 120 min) had a trend to receive more CT scans. The disease distribution, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were similar in patients receiving early or late PoCUS for target diagnoses. After adjusting for the confounders, early PoCUS (OR, 2.77, 95% CIs, 1.93-3.98) had a positive impact on shorter LOS. In addition, the effect of early PoCUS became more prominent (OR, 4.91, 95% CIs, 3.39-7.13) on LOS in less than 3 h. CONCLUSIONS: Early integration of PoCUS is significantly related to shorter LOS in patients with acute flank pain without increasing morbidity and mortality. Our results suggested "PoCUS early" in these patients to possibly alleviate emergency department crowding. Trial registration NCT04149041 at the ClinicalTrial.gov.

A non-inferiority randomised controlled trial comparing self-instruction with instructor-led method in training of layperson cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Our study aimed to compare the effect of self-instruction with manikin feedback to that of instructor-led method on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) skill performance. In our randomized non-inferiority trial, 64 non-healthcare providers were randomly allocated into self-instruction and instructor-led groups. Both groups watched a 27-min standardized teaching video. Participants in the self-instruction group then performed hands-on practice on the Resusci Anne QCPR with a device-driven feedback, while those in the instructor-led group practiced manikins; feedback was provided and student's questions were answered by instructors. Outcomes were measured by blinded evaluators and SkillReporter software. The primary outcome was the pass rate. Secondary outcomes were scores of the knowledge test and items of individual skill performance. The baseline characteristics of the two groups were similar. The pass rates were 93.8% in both group (absolute difference 0%, p = 0.049 for noninferiority). The knowledge test scores were not significantly different. However, the self-instruction group performed better in some chest compression and ventilation skills, but performed worse in confirming environmental safety and checking normal breathing. There was no difference in AED skills between the two groups. Our results showed the self-instruction method is not inferior to the instructor-led method.

The effect of system performance improvement on patients with cardiac arrest: A systematic review.

AIM: The aim of our review was to understand the effect of interventions to improve system-level performance on the clinical outcomes of patients with cardiac arrest. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Ovid EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases to identify randomised controlled trials and non-randomised studies published before July 21, 2020 reporting systems interventions to improve outcomes. Characteristics, study design, evaluation methods and outcomes of included studies were extracted. (PROSPERO registration CRD42020161882). RESULTS: One cluster randomised trial and 26 non-randomised studies were included. There were 18 studies focusing on interventions for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and 9 studies for patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest. Interventions included implementation of a bundle of care strategy, evaluation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality with feedback/debriefing, data surveillance, and CPR training programs. Although improved survival with favorable neurologic outcome at discharge after the implementation of specific interventions was found in 13 studies, improved survival to hospital discharge in 14 studies and improved survival to admission in 3 studies, there were still 7 studies showing no significant improvement of clinical outcomes after interventions. CONCLUSION: Although only moderate to very low certainty of evidence exists to support the effect of system-level performance improvement on the clinical outcomes of patients, we recommend that organisations or communities evaluate their performance and target key areas with the goal to improve performance because of no known risks and the potential for a large beneficial effect.

Education, Implementation, and Teams: 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations.

For this 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations, the Education, Implementation, and Teams Task Force applied the population, intervention, comparator, outcome, study design, time frame format and performed 15 systematic reviews, applying the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation guidance. Furthermore, 4 scoping reviews and 7 evidence updates assessed any new evidence to determine if a change in any existing treatment recommendation was required. The topics covered included training for the treatment of opioid overdose; basic life support, including automated external defibrillator training; measuring implementation and performance in communities, and cardiac arrest centers; advanced life support training, including team and leadership training and rapid response teams; measuring cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance, feedback devices, and debriefing; and the use of social media to improve cardiopulmonary resuscitation application.

Interventions to improve the quality of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Performing high-quality bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) improves the clinical outcomes of victims with sudden cardiac arrest. Thus far, no systematic review has been performed to identify interventions associated with improved bystander CPR quality. METHODS: We searched Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, EBSCO CINAHL, Ovid PsycInfo, Thomson Reuters SCI-EXPANDED, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to retrieve studies published from 1 January 1966 to 5 October 2018 associated with interventions that could improve the quality of bystander CPR. Data regarding participant characteristics, interventions, and design and outcomes of included studies were extracted. RESULTS: Of the initially identified 2,703 studies, 42 were included. Of these, 32 were randomized controlled trials. Participants included adults, high school students, and university students with non-medical professional majors. Interventions improving bystander CPR quality included telephone dispatcher-assisted CPR (DA-CPR) with simplified or more concrete instructions, compression-only CPR, and other on-scene interventions, such as four-hand CPR for elderly rescuers, kneel on opposite sides for two-person CPR, and CPR with heels for a tired rescuer. Devices providing real-time feedback and mobile devices containing CPR applications or software were also found to be beneficial in improving the quality of bystander CPR. However, using mobile devices for improving CPR quality or for assisting DA-CPR might cause rescuers to delay starting CPR. CONCLUSIONS: To further improve the clinical outcomes of victims with cardiac arrest, these effective interventions may be included in the guidelines for bystander CPR.