BACKGROUND Advances in technology have made prehospital ultrasound (US) examination available. Whether US in the prehospital setting can lead to improvement in clinical outcomes is yet unclear. OBJECTIVE The aim of this systematic review was to assess whether prehospital US improves clinical outcomes for non-trauma patients. METHOD We conducted a systematic review on non-trauma patients who...

OBJECTIVES To systematically review the literature on quality indicators (QIs) for evaluating trauma care, identify QIs, map their definitions, and examine the evidence base in support of the QIs. DATA SOURCES We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials fr...

Traumatic brain injury is a substantial cause ofmorbidity and mortality in the UK. An estimated 11 000 people per year sustain a severe traumatic brain injury, mostly between ages 15 and 29 years. Patients with severe traumatic brain injury have a high mortality rate (30-50%) and many survivors will have persistent severe neurological disability. Prompt identification and appropriate early mana...

Orthopedic injuries are predominant among combat casualties, and carry the potential for significant morbidity. An expert consensus process (Prehospital care of military orthopedic trauma: A consensus meeting, Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps, May 2003) was used to create guidelines for the treatment of these injuries by military prehospital providers. The consensus treatment guidelines deve...

BACKGROUND Spine immobilization is one of the most frequently performed prehospital procedures. If trauma patients without significant risk for spine injury complications can be identified, spine immobilization could be selectively performed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate five prehospital clinical criteria-altered mental status, neurologic deficit, spine pain or tenderness, evidence...

UNLABELLED To demonstrate trends in trauma care in England and Wales from 1989 to 2000. STUDY POPULATION Database of the Trauma Audit and Research Network that includes hospital patients admitted for three days or more, those who died, were transferred or admitted to an intensive care or high dependency area. METHOD To demonstrate trends in outcome, severity adjusted odds of death per year ...

BACKGROUND Most prehospital medical interventions during civilian and military trauma casualty transport fail to utilize advanced decision-support systems for treatment and delivery of medical interventions, particularly intravenous fluids and oxygen. Current treatment protocols are usually based on standard vital signs (eg, blood pressure, arterial oxygen saturation) which have proven to be of...

introduction : although many protocols are available in the field of the prehospital medical care (pmc), there is still a notable gap between protocol based directions and applied clinical practice. this study measures the rate of protocol adherence in pmc provided for patients with chest pain and loss of consciousness (loc). method : in this cross-sectional study, 10 educated research assistan...

INTRODUCTION Exsanguination following trauma is potentially preventable. Extremity tourniquets have been successfully implemented in military and civilian prehospital care. Prehospital control of bleeding from the torso and junctional area's remains challenging but offers a great potential to improve survival rates. This review aims to provide an overview of potential treatment options in both ...

BACKGROUND A five-year prospective study was conducted in North Iraq and Cambodia to test a model for rural prehospital trauma systems in low-income countries. RESULTS From 1997 to 2001, 135 local paramedics and 5,200 lay First Responders were trained to provide in-field trauma care. The study population comprised 1,061 trauma victims with mean evacuation time 5.7 hours. The trauma mortality ...