Background: Bystander CPR (BCPR) and telephone CPR (TCPR) are associated with improved OHCA outco... more Background: Bystander CPR (BCPR) and telephone CPR (TCPR) are associated with improved OHCA outcomes. It has been shown that BCPR increases the proportion of patients with an initial shockable cardiac rhythm (VF/VT) when encountered by EMS. It is unknown whether TCPR does the same. Objective: To assess whether TCPR is independently associated with an increase in initial shockable cardiac rhythms during OHCA. Methods: Data from 9-1-1 audio recordings, first care EMS reports and hospital records were linked for OHCAs of presumed cardiac origin (1/2011-12/2014). Three cohorts were analyzed: TCPR, BCPR or no CPR. Using no CPR as the reference group, we assessed whether TCPR and BCPR were independently associated with initial shockable rhythms in a logistic regression model controlling for gender, event location, witness status and EMS response interval. Results: After exclusions, 2715 adult OHCA events with linked outcome data were analyzed (median age: 63; male: 66.8%; 33.3% witnessed arrest). Median respons...
Background: In the simulation setting, chest compression (CC) quality is reduced when out-of-hosp... more Background: In the simulation setting, chest compression (CC) quality is reduced when out-of-hospital cardiac arrest “patients” are prepared for transport (i.e. packaged and moved to ambulance). It is unknown whether use of real-time audiovisual CPR feedback (RTAVF) affects manual CC quality when the patient is prepared for transport during actual out-of-hospital resuscitations. We tested the hypothesis that CC quality during patient transfer would be better when using RTAVF. Methods: CC quality was monitored at two EMS agencies using an E Series monitor/defibrillator with CC sensing capability (ZOLL Medical) during the treatment of consecutive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients who received CC on scene and were transported with ongoing CC. Data were collected during study phases; P1: RTAVF disabled, P2: RTAVF enabled following scenario-based training. Student’s t-test and Wilcoxon-Mann Whitney tests were used to compare CC quality in P1 vs. P2 during early scene and late scene treatment. Late scene was defined as the 3 minutes prior to transport (when packaging and transfer to the ambulance occurs) and early scene was all prior minutes at the scene. Results: 211 cardiac arrest cases were included: mean age 64±15 yrs, 67% male, 8% survival to hospital discharge. The Table shows that CC quality was superior during both early scene and late scene treatment in P2, when RTAVF was enabled, vs. P1, when RTAVF was disabled. Conclusion: CC quality, particularly the CC fraction, declines when a patient is packaged for transport and moved to the ambulance. While this decline is not prevented by RTAVF, CC quality during the late scene period is significantly better when using RTAVF. Further study is required to determine the impact of this improvement on outcomes. ![Graphic][1] [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Over the past several years, out-of-hospital EMS have come under increased scrutiny regarding the... more Over the past several years, out-of-hospital EMS have come under increased scrutiny regarding the value of the range of EMS as currently provided. We used frequency data and expert opinion to rank-order EMS conditions for children and adults based on their potential value for the study of effectiveness of EMS care. Relief of discomfort was the outcome parameter EMS professionals identified as having the most potential impact for the majority of children and adults in the top quartile conditions. Future work from this project will identify appropriate severity and outcome measures that can be used to study these priority conditions. The results from the first year of this project will assist those interested in EMS outcomes research to focus their efforts. Furthermore, the results suggest that nonmortality out-come measures, such as relief of discomfort, may be important parameters in determining EMS effectiveness.
The purpose of the Emergency Medical Services Outcomes Project (EMSOP) is to develop a foundation... more The purpose of the Emergency Medical Services Outcomes Project (EMSOP) is to develop a foundation and framework for out-of-hospital outcomes research. In prior work (EMSOP I), discomfort had the highest weighted score among outcome categories for the top 3 adult conditions (ie, minor trauma, respiratory distress, chest pain) and the first and third highest rankings for children's conditions (ie, minor trauma, respiratory distress). In this fourth article in the EMSOP series, we discuss issues relevant to the measurement of pain in the out-of-hospital setting, recommended pain measures that require evaluation, and implications for outcomes research focusing on pain. For adults, adolescents, and older children, 2 verbal pain-rating scales are recommended for out-of-hospital evaluation: (1) the Adjective Response Scale, which includes the responses "none," "slight," "moderate," "severe," and "agonizing," and (2) the Numeric Response Scale, which includes responses from 0 (no pain) to 100 (worst pain imaginable). The Oucher Scale, combining a visual analog scale with pictures, seems most promising for out-of-hospital use among younger children. Future research in out-of-hospital care should be conducted to determine the utility and feasibility of these measures, as well as the effectiveness of interventions for pain relief.
Introduction: The EPIC Study implemented the national EMS TBI Guidelines in a massive, statewide ... more Introduction: The EPIC Study implemented the national EMS TBI Guidelines in a massive, statewide initiative (>11,000 providers trained, 133 agencies). While implementation was not associated with improved survival to discharge in moderate or critically-severe TBI in the primary (all-age) study, the adjusted odds of survival doubled in severe TBI and tripled in severe, intubated TBI. We now report the preplanned pediatric subgroup analysis (“EPIC4Kids”-NIH R01NS071049). Methods: Multisystem, intention-to-treat study using a before/after controlled design in patients with moderate to critically severe TBI. Interventions: Prevention/treatment of hypoxia, hypotension, and hyperventilation by EMS providers. Inclusion: Age<18; CDC Barell Matrix Type 1; 1/07-6/15. Severity subgroups [Head Region Severity Score (IDC-based AIS equivalent)]: Moderate=1-2; Severe=3-4; Critical=5-6. The pre-implementation (P1) and post-implementation (P3) cohorts were compared using logistic regression (F...
Context: As many as 14% of patients transported by ambulance with chest pain die prior to hospita... more Context: As many as 14% of patients transported by ambulance with chest pain die prior to hospital discharge. To date, no high-quality controlled trials have revealed that prehospital advanced life support interventions affect survival for these patients.Objective: The Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support (OPALS) Study assessed the effect of adding an advance life support service to an existing basic life support emergency medical service program, on the rate of mortality and morbidity for patients with out-of-hospital chest pain.Design: Controlled clinical trial comparing survival for 9 months before and 9 after instituting an advanced life support program.Setting: Thirteen urban and suburban Ontario communities (populations ranging from 30,000 to 750,000; total, 2.5 million).Patients: All adult patients with a primary complaint of chest pain and transported by paramedics to the emergency department.Intervention: Paramedics were trained in standard advanced life support, which includes endotracheal intubation, intravenous furosemide and morphine, oral ASA, and sublingual NTG. Emergency medical services within each community had to meet predefined criteria in order to qualify for the advanced life support phase.Main Outcome Measure: Survival to hospital discharge.Results: Overall, 12,168 patients were enrolled in either the basic life support phase (N = 5,788) or the advanced life support phase (N = 6,380). The rate of mortality significantly decreased from 4.3% in the basic life support phase to 3.2% in the advanced life support phase (absolute change 1.1, 95% CI 0.4-1.8, P = 0.0013). We also demonstrated a decrease in mortality for the subgroup of patients with a discharge diagnosis of myocardial infarction (13.1 percent vs 8.2 percent, P = 0.002).Conclusions: The addition of a prehospital advanced life support program to an existing basic life support emergency medical service was associated with a significant decrease in the mortality rate among patients complaining of chest pain. Future research should clarify the most effective interventions and target specific populations.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00212953.
Background: Previous investigations in human out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) due to ventric... more Background: Previous investigations in human out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) due to ventricular fibrillation (VF) have shown that the frequency-based waveform characteristic, amplitude spectr...
BACKGROUND: Hypoxia (HOx) or hypotension (HT) occurring during the EMS management of major trauma... more BACKGROUND: Hypoxia (HOx) or hypotension (HT) occurring during the EMS management of major traumatic brain injury-TBI reduces survival. However, little is known about the impact of both HOx and HT, occurring together, on outcome. Only a handful of reports have studied the combination of prehospital HOx/HT in TBI and the largest of these only had 14 cases with both. Objectives: To evaluate the associations between mortality and prehospital HOx and HT, both separately and in combination. METHODS: All moderate/severe TBI cases (CDC Barell Matrix Type-1) in the Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) TBI Study (a statewide, before/after controlled study of the impact of implementing the EMS TBI Treatment Guidelines-NIH/NINDS: 1R01NS071049) from 1/1/08-6/30/12 were evaluated [exclusions: age<10; death before ED arrival; EMS O2 saturation-“sat”<11%; EMS SBP less than 40 or greater than 200; missing sat (5.4% of cases) or SBP (3.1% of cases)]. The relationship between mortality ...
Objective: Previous work has shown that, separately, the depth-duration doses of prehospital hypo... more Objective: Previous work has shown that, separately, the depth-duration doses of prehospital hypoxia (HO) and hypotension (HT) are strongly associated with mortality in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). However, because HO and HT are not mutually exclusive, we sought to evaluate the combined-dose effect of these physiological anomalies. Methods: We evaluated major TBI cases (CDC Barell Matrix Type 1) enrolled in the EPIC Study (NIH 1R01NS071049) before TBI guideline implementation (N = 16,711; 1/07-9/14). The HO dose was calculated as SpO2 depth Results: 6682 cases were included [Exclusions: age 200 (2.1%), missing data (12.8%), only 1 recorded SBP or SpO2 (8.3%)]. Mortality rate increased consistently across the quartiles of the unadjusted dose score (Fig A). In the adjusted model, mortality increased monotonically (nearly linearly) with the dose score (B). This is consistent with the monotonically-increasing relationships between the HO and HT doses and their respective adjusted death...
Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality is strongly linked to outcomes following ... more Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality is strongly linked to outcomes following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, manual CPR quality varies and has risk to providers. We hypothesized that use of a mechanical CPR device might provide higher quality CPR than manual CPR during the technically challenging periods of OHCA resuscitation such as packaging, loading, and transporting patients. Methods: Cases of OHCA at a single site from 10/2008-10/2016 were identified. Two CPR quality metrics, chest compression fraction (CCfr) and CC rate (CCra), measured using accelerometer-based technology (E & X-Series), were compared between 3 groups: packaging (terminal 5 minutes on scene), loading (terminal 3 minutes on scene), and transport. Mechanical CPR was performed using (AutoPulse®, ZOLL Medical) while most cases of manual CPR were performed with real-time audiovisual chest compression feedback enabled (Real CPR Help®). To compare manual CPR [metronome rate of 100...
Introduction: The benefit of epinephrine administration by emergency medical services providers (... more Introduction: The benefit of epinephrine administration by emergency medical services providers (EMS) during resuscitation of patients with out-of-hospital-cardiac arrest (OHCA) is controversial. To address the association of the timing of epinephrine administration and outcome, we accessed the Save Hearts in Arizona Register and Educational (SHARE) program registry, and analyzed the time between 9-1-1 dispatches, the first dose of epinephrine and survival to hospital discharge. Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected statewide OHCA data using the SHARE database between October 2004 and December 2013. Results: There were 2,213 OHCA with a shockable initial rhythm who received epinephrine by EMS. Logistic regression was performed adjusted for age, gender, witnessed, bystander CPR, arrival time (dispatch to scene), and dispatch to defibrillation time, year, and method of ventilation. Of these, 396 (17.8%) survived to discharge. The times from dispatch to first epi...
Introduction: During prolonged hospitalization for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), fever has been i... more Introduction: During prolonged hospitalization for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), fever has been identified as a possible cause of secondary brain injury and previous reports have identified an association between elevated body temperature and increased mortality following TBI. However, little is known about the relationship between an elevated initial trauma center body temperature (ITCT), measured immediately after EMS transport, and non-mortality outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between elevated ITCT and various important patient outcomes. Methods: All moderate/severe TBI cases (CDC Barell Matrix Type 1) in the Arizona State Trauma Registry (ASTR; 1/1/07-12/31/12) were analyzed by the following ITCT categories: 36.5-37.9°C (normal-NT), 38.0-38.9°C (elevated-ET) and ≥39.0°C (very elevated-VET). Outcomes included: Trauma Center (TC) length-of-stay (LOS), Intensive Care Unit (ICU) LOS, and total TC charges. For continuous variables, non-par...
Background: Telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (TCPR) is associated with improved patient ou... more Background: Telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (TCPR) is associated with improved patient outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Compared with TCPR for adults, little is known a...
Introduction: Little is known about prehospital EMS blood pressure patterns in TBI and the effect... more Introduction: Little is known about prehospital EMS blood pressure patterns in TBI and the effect of serial trends in BP during EMS care remains entirely unclear. Using the comprehensive, linked EM...
Objective: Prehospital hypotension [systolic BP (SBP) <90 mmHg] dramatically increases mortali... more Objective: Prehospital hypotension [systolic BP (SBP) <90 mmHg] dramatically increases mortality in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The literature supporting this concept is based upon a simple dicho...
Background: Telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (TCPR) is associated with improved outcomes a... more Background: Telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (TCPR) is associated with improved outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). AHA guidelines recommend that 9-1-1 call takers (CTs) as...
Background: Little is known about the ventilatory aspects of overdose-related OHCA (OD-OHCA). We ... more Background: Little is known about the ventilatory aspects of overdose-related OHCA (OD-OHCA). We compared maximum ETCO2 (mETCO2; each patient’s highest CO2 level) and mean for each recorded minute of CPR in OD-OHCA to that of respiratory (R-OHCA) and cardiac (C-OHCA) arrests. Methods: Continuous CO2 data (Zoll E/X series monitors) were obtained from 3 Arizona EMS agencies. Cases had at least 3 min of recorded CO2 during CPR. Arrests were classified as OD-OHCA by EMS and/or hospital documentation. Any drug OD was included (e.g., opioids, mixed). C-OHCA and R-OHCA cases were randomly chosen for comparison. The groups were compared using Fisher’s exact test or Chi-squared for categorical and Kruskal-Wallis for continuous variables. Results: Included were 263 subjects (37 OD-OHCA, 157 C-OHCA and 69 R-OHCA; median age 61, 64% male, 1/10-12/18) with 10,271 min of data [median resuscitation interval 37 min (IQR 29, 47)]. Mean ETCO2 (SD): OD-OHCA [41 mmHg (24)]; R-OHCA [40 (23)], C-OHCA [30...
IMPORTANCE Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a massive public health problem. While evidence-based ... more IMPORTANCE Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a massive public health problem. While evidence-based guidelines directing the prehospital treatment of TBI have been promulgated, to our knowledge, no studies have assessed their association with survival. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of implementing the nationally vetted, evidence-based, prehospital treatment guidelines with outcomes in moderate, severe, and critical TBI. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) Study included more than 130 emergency medical services systems/agencies throughout Arizona. This was a statewide, multisystem, intention-to-treat study using a before/after controlled design with patients with moderate to critically severe TBI (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Barell Matrix-Type 1 and/or Abbreviated Injury Scale Head region severity Ն3) transported to trauma centers between
Background: Bystander CPR (BCPR) and telephone CPR (TCPR) are associated with improved OHCA outco... more Background: Bystander CPR (BCPR) and telephone CPR (TCPR) are associated with improved OHCA outcomes. It has been shown that BCPR increases the proportion of patients with an initial shockable cardiac rhythm (VF/VT) when encountered by EMS. It is unknown whether TCPR does the same. Objective: To assess whether TCPR is independently associated with an increase in initial shockable cardiac rhythms during OHCA. Methods: Data from 9-1-1 audio recordings, first care EMS reports and hospital records were linked for OHCAs of presumed cardiac origin (1/2011-12/2014). Three cohorts were analyzed: TCPR, BCPR or no CPR. Using no CPR as the reference group, we assessed whether TCPR and BCPR were independently associated with initial shockable rhythms in a logistic regression model controlling for gender, event location, witness status and EMS response interval. Results: After exclusions, 2715 adult OHCA events with linked outcome data were analyzed (median age: 63; male: 66.8%; 33.3% witnessed arrest). Median respons...
Background: In the simulation setting, chest compression (CC) quality is reduced when out-of-hosp... more Background: In the simulation setting, chest compression (CC) quality is reduced when out-of-hospital cardiac arrest “patients” are prepared for transport (i.e. packaged and moved to ambulance). It is unknown whether use of real-time audiovisual CPR feedback (RTAVF) affects manual CC quality when the patient is prepared for transport during actual out-of-hospital resuscitations. We tested the hypothesis that CC quality during patient transfer would be better when using RTAVF. Methods: CC quality was monitored at two EMS agencies using an E Series monitor/defibrillator with CC sensing capability (ZOLL Medical) during the treatment of consecutive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients who received CC on scene and were transported with ongoing CC. Data were collected during study phases; P1: RTAVF disabled, P2: RTAVF enabled following scenario-based training. Student’s t-test and Wilcoxon-Mann Whitney tests were used to compare CC quality in P1 vs. P2 during early scene and late scene treatment. Late scene was defined as the 3 minutes prior to transport (when packaging and transfer to the ambulance occurs) and early scene was all prior minutes at the scene. Results: 211 cardiac arrest cases were included: mean age 64±15 yrs, 67% male, 8% survival to hospital discharge. The Table shows that CC quality was superior during both early scene and late scene treatment in P2, when RTAVF was enabled, vs. P1, when RTAVF was disabled. Conclusion: CC quality, particularly the CC fraction, declines when a patient is packaged for transport and moved to the ambulance. While this decline is not prevented by RTAVF, CC quality during the late scene period is significantly better when using RTAVF. Further study is required to determine the impact of this improvement on outcomes. ![Graphic][1] [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Over the past several years, out-of-hospital EMS have come under increased scrutiny regarding the... more Over the past several years, out-of-hospital EMS have come under increased scrutiny regarding the value of the range of EMS as currently provided. We used frequency data and expert opinion to rank-order EMS conditions for children and adults based on their potential value for the study of effectiveness of EMS care. Relief of discomfort was the outcome parameter EMS professionals identified as having the most potential impact for the majority of children and adults in the top quartile conditions. Future work from this project will identify appropriate severity and outcome measures that can be used to study these priority conditions. The results from the first year of this project will assist those interested in EMS outcomes research to focus their efforts. Furthermore, the results suggest that nonmortality out-come measures, such as relief of discomfort, may be important parameters in determining EMS effectiveness.
The purpose of the Emergency Medical Services Outcomes Project (EMSOP) is to develop a foundation... more The purpose of the Emergency Medical Services Outcomes Project (EMSOP) is to develop a foundation and framework for out-of-hospital outcomes research. In prior work (EMSOP I), discomfort had the highest weighted score among outcome categories for the top 3 adult conditions (ie, minor trauma, respiratory distress, chest pain) and the first and third highest rankings for children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s conditions (ie, minor trauma, respiratory distress). In this fourth article in the EMSOP series, we discuss issues relevant to the measurement of pain in the out-of-hospital setting, recommended pain measures that require evaluation, and implications for outcomes research focusing on pain. For adults, adolescents, and older children, 2 verbal pain-rating scales are recommended for out-of-hospital evaluation: (1) the Adjective Response Scale, which includes the responses &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;none,&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;slight,&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;moderate,&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;severe,&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; and &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;agonizing,&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; and (2) the Numeric Response Scale, which includes responses from 0 (no pain) to 100 (worst pain imaginable). The Oucher Scale, combining a visual analog scale with pictures, seems most promising for out-of-hospital use among younger children. Future research in out-of-hospital care should be conducted to determine the utility and feasibility of these measures, as well as the effectiveness of interventions for pain relief.
Introduction: The EPIC Study implemented the national EMS TBI Guidelines in a massive, statewide ... more Introduction: The EPIC Study implemented the national EMS TBI Guidelines in a massive, statewide initiative (>11,000 providers trained, 133 agencies). While implementation was not associated with improved survival to discharge in moderate or critically-severe TBI in the primary (all-age) study, the adjusted odds of survival doubled in severe TBI and tripled in severe, intubated TBI. We now report the preplanned pediatric subgroup analysis (“EPIC4Kids”-NIH R01NS071049). Methods: Multisystem, intention-to-treat study using a before/after controlled design in patients with moderate to critically severe TBI. Interventions: Prevention/treatment of hypoxia, hypotension, and hyperventilation by EMS providers. Inclusion: Age<18; CDC Barell Matrix Type 1; 1/07-6/15. Severity subgroups [Head Region Severity Score (IDC-based AIS equivalent)]: Moderate=1-2; Severe=3-4; Critical=5-6. The pre-implementation (P1) and post-implementation (P3) cohorts were compared using logistic regression (F...
Context: As many as 14% of patients transported by ambulance with chest pain die prior to hospita... more Context: As many as 14% of patients transported by ambulance with chest pain die prior to hospital discharge. To date, no high-quality controlled trials have revealed that prehospital advanced life support interventions affect survival for these patients.Objective: The Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support (OPALS) Study assessed the effect of adding an advance life support service to an existing basic life support emergency medical service program, on the rate of mortality and morbidity for patients with out-of-hospital chest pain.Design: Controlled clinical trial comparing survival for 9 months before and 9 after instituting an advanced life support program.Setting: Thirteen urban and suburban Ontario communities (populations ranging from 30,000 to 750,000; total, 2.5 million).Patients: All adult patients with a primary complaint of chest pain and transported by paramedics to the emergency department.Intervention: Paramedics were trained in standard advanced life support, which includes endotracheal intubation, intravenous furosemide and morphine, oral ASA, and sublingual NTG. Emergency medical services within each community had to meet predefined criteria in order to qualify for the advanced life support phase.Main Outcome Measure: Survival to hospital discharge.Results: Overall, 12,168 patients were enrolled in either the basic life support phase (N = 5,788) or the advanced life support phase (N = 6,380). The rate of mortality significantly decreased from 4.3% in the basic life support phase to 3.2% in the advanced life support phase (absolute change 1.1, 95% CI 0.4-1.8, P = 0.0013). We also demonstrated a decrease in mortality for the subgroup of patients with a discharge diagnosis of myocardial infarction (13.1 percent vs 8.2 percent, P = 0.002).Conclusions: The addition of a prehospital advanced life support program to an existing basic life support emergency medical service was associated with a significant decrease in the mortality rate among patients complaining of chest pain. Future research should clarify the most effective interventions and target specific populations.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00212953.
Background: Previous investigations in human out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) due to ventric... more Background: Previous investigations in human out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) due to ventricular fibrillation (VF) have shown that the frequency-based waveform characteristic, amplitude spectr...
BACKGROUND: Hypoxia (HOx) or hypotension (HT) occurring during the EMS management of major trauma... more BACKGROUND: Hypoxia (HOx) or hypotension (HT) occurring during the EMS management of major traumatic brain injury-TBI reduces survival. However, little is known about the impact of both HOx and HT, occurring together, on outcome. Only a handful of reports have studied the combination of prehospital HOx/HT in TBI and the largest of these only had 14 cases with both. Objectives: To evaluate the associations between mortality and prehospital HOx and HT, both separately and in combination. METHODS: All moderate/severe TBI cases (CDC Barell Matrix Type-1) in the Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) TBI Study (a statewide, before/after controlled study of the impact of implementing the EMS TBI Treatment Guidelines-NIH/NINDS: 1R01NS071049) from 1/1/08-6/30/12 were evaluated [exclusions: age<10; death before ED arrival; EMS O2 saturation-“sat”<11%; EMS SBP less than 40 or greater than 200; missing sat (5.4% of cases) or SBP (3.1% of cases)]. The relationship between mortality ...
Objective: Previous work has shown that, separately, the depth-duration doses of prehospital hypo... more Objective: Previous work has shown that, separately, the depth-duration doses of prehospital hypoxia (HO) and hypotension (HT) are strongly associated with mortality in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). However, because HO and HT are not mutually exclusive, we sought to evaluate the combined-dose effect of these physiological anomalies. Methods: We evaluated major TBI cases (CDC Barell Matrix Type 1) enrolled in the EPIC Study (NIH 1R01NS071049) before TBI guideline implementation (N = 16,711; 1/07-9/14). The HO dose was calculated as SpO2 depth Results: 6682 cases were included [Exclusions: age 200 (2.1%), missing data (12.8%), only 1 recorded SBP or SpO2 (8.3%)]. Mortality rate increased consistently across the quartiles of the unadjusted dose score (Fig A). In the adjusted model, mortality increased monotonically (nearly linearly) with the dose score (B). This is consistent with the monotonically-increasing relationships between the HO and HT doses and their respective adjusted death...
Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality is strongly linked to outcomes following ... more Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality is strongly linked to outcomes following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, manual CPR quality varies and has risk to providers. We hypothesized that use of a mechanical CPR device might provide higher quality CPR than manual CPR during the technically challenging periods of OHCA resuscitation such as packaging, loading, and transporting patients. Methods: Cases of OHCA at a single site from 10/2008-10/2016 were identified. Two CPR quality metrics, chest compression fraction (CCfr) and CC rate (CCra), measured using accelerometer-based technology (E & X-Series), were compared between 3 groups: packaging (terminal 5 minutes on scene), loading (terminal 3 minutes on scene), and transport. Mechanical CPR was performed using (AutoPulse®, ZOLL Medical) while most cases of manual CPR were performed with real-time audiovisual chest compression feedback enabled (Real CPR Help®). To compare manual CPR [metronome rate of 100...
Introduction: The benefit of epinephrine administration by emergency medical services providers (... more Introduction: The benefit of epinephrine administration by emergency medical services providers (EMS) during resuscitation of patients with out-of-hospital-cardiac arrest (OHCA) is controversial. To address the association of the timing of epinephrine administration and outcome, we accessed the Save Hearts in Arizona Register and Educational (SHARE) program registry, and analyzed the time between 9-1-1 dispatches, the first dose of epinephrine and survival to hospital discharge. Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected statewide OHCA data using the SHARE database between October 2004 and December 2013. Results: There were 2,213 OHCA with a shockable initial rhythm who received epinephrine by EMS. Logistic regression was performed adjusted for age, gender, witnessed, bystander CPR, arrival time (dispatch to scene), and dispatch to defibrillation time, year, and method of ventilation. Of these, 396 (17.8%) survived to discharge. The times from dispatch to first epi...
Introduction: During prolonged hospitalization for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), fever has been i... more Introduction: During prolonged hospitalization for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), fever has been identified as a possible cause of secondary brain injury and previous reports have identified an association between elevated body temperature and increased mortality following TBI. However, little is known about the relationship between an elevated initial trauma center body temperature (ITCT), measured immediately after EMS transport, and non-mortality outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between elevated ITCT and various important patient outcomes. Methods: All moderate/severe TBI cases (CDC Barell Matrix Type 1) in the Arizona State Trauma Registry (ASTR; 1/1/07-12/31/12) were analyzed by the following ITCT categories: 36.5-37.9°C (normal-NT), 38.0-38.9°C (elevated-ET) and ≥39.0°C (very elevated-VET). Outcomes included: Trauma Center (TC) length-of-stay (LOS), Intensive Care Unit (ICU) LOS, and total TC charges. For continuous variables, non-par...
Background: Telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (TCPR) is associated with improved patient ou... more Background: Telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (TCPR) is associated with improved patient outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Compared with TCPR for adults, little is known a...
Introduction: Little is known about prehospital EMS blood pressure patterns in TBI and the effect... more Introduction: Little is known about prehospital EMS blood pressure patterns in TBI and the effect of serial trends in BP during EMS care remains entirely unclear. Using the comprehensive, linked EM...
Objective: Prehospital hypotension [systolic BP (SBP) <90 mmHg] dramatically increases mortali... more Objective: Prehospital hypotension [systolic BP (SBP) <90 mmHg] dramatically increases mortality in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The literature supporting this concept is based upon a simple dicho...
Background: Telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (TCPR) is associated with improved outcomes a... more Background: Telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (TCPR) is associated with improved outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). AHA guidelines recommend that 9-1-1 call takers (CTs) as...
Background: Little is known about the ventilatory aspects of overdose-related OHCA (OD-OHCA). We ... more Background: Little is known about the ventilatory aspects of overdose-related OHCA (OD-OHCA). We compared maximum ETCO2 (mETCO2; each patient’s highest CO2 level) and mean for each recorded minute of CPR in OD-OHCA to that of respiratory (R-OHCA) and cardiac (C-OHCA) arrests. Methods: Continuous CO2 data (Zoll E/X series monitors) were obtained from 3 Arizona EMS agencies. Cases had at least 3 min of recorded CO2 during CPR. Arrests were classified as OD-OHCA by EMS and/or hospital documentation. Any drug OD was included (e.g., opioids, mixed). C-OHCA and R-OHCA cases were randomly chosen for comparison. The groups were compared using Fisher’s exact test or Chi-squared for categorical and Kruskal-Wallis for continuous variables. Results: Included were 263 subjects (37 OD-OHCA, 157 C-OHCA and 69 R-OHCA; median age 61, 64% male, 1/10-12/18) with 10,271 min of data [median resuscitation interval 37 min (IQR 29, 47)]. Mean ETCO2 (SD): OD-OHCA [41 mmHg (24)]; R-OHCA [40 (23)], C-OHCA [30...
IMPORTANCE Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a massive public health problem. While evidence-based ... more IMPORTANCE Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a massive public health problem. While evidence-based guidelines directing the prehospital treatment of TBI have been promulgated, to our knowledge, no studies have assessed their association with survival. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of implementing the nationally vetted, evidence-based, prehospital treatment guidelines with outcomes in moderate, severe, and critical TBI. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) Study included more than 130 emergency medical services systems/agencies throughout Arizona. This was a statewide, multisystem, intention-to-treat study using a before/after controlled design with patients with moderate to critically severe TBI (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Barell Matrix-Type 1 and/or Abbreviated Injury Scale Head region severity Ն3) transported to trauma centers between
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Papers by Daniel Spaite