Methods A partnership was established with an EMS yet successful in implementing PEU ( Siena EMS, Italy , which started the Siena PEU Project in 2009). The Sassari EMS, a physician-staffed service, acquired six US machines fit for the prehospital setting (Micromaxx/Sonosite). A motivational theoretical and hands-on simulated case-based seminar was conducted, involving all physicians working for...

BACKGROUND Ambulance response time is a crucial factor in patient survival. The number of emergency cases (EMS cases) requiring an ambulance is increasing due to changes in population demographics. This is decreasing ambulance response times to the emergency scene. This paper predicts EMS cases for 5-year intervals from 2020, to 2050 by correlating current EMS cases with demographic factors at ...

The aim of the present study was to test the influence of inhaled isotonic Ems salt (brine from the spa of Bad Ems, Germany) compared to isotonic saline on radioaerosol clearance (RC) in patients with chronic cough. Ems salt is an alkaline solution (pH 8.0-9.0) containing largely bicarbonate ions rather than the chloride ions present in isotonic saline (pH 6.4). RC was assessed with a radioaero...

The excretion, biotransformation, and pharmacokinetics of a selective N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, traxoprodil, were investigated in six healthy male volunteers, phenotyped either as CYP2D6 extensive or poor metabolizers of dextromethorphan. Each subject received an i.v. infusion of a single 50-mg (100 microCi) dose of [(14)C]traxoprodil. Approximately 89% of the administered dose ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE With the advent of time-dependent thrombolytic therapy for ischemic stroke, it has become increasingly important for stroke patients to arrive at the hospital quickly. This study investigates the association between the use of emergency medical services (EMS) and delay time among individuals with stroke symptoms and examines the predictors of EMS use. METHODS The Second...

STUDY OBJECTIVE We determine the minimum mortality reduction that helicopter emergency medical services (EMS) should provide relative to ground EMS for the scene transport of trauma victims to offset higher costs, inherent transport risks, and inevitable overtriage of patients with minor injury. METHODS We developed a decision-analytic model to compare the costs and outcomes of helicopter ver...

BACKGROUND Many health care disciplines use evidence-based decision making to improve patient care and system performance. While the amount and quality of emergency medical services (EMS) research in Canada has increased over the past two decades, there has not been a unified national plan to enable research, ensure efficient use of research resources, guide funding decisions and build capacity...

BACKGROUND In patients with a major cardiac event, the first priority is to minimize time-to-treatment. For many patients, the first and fastest contact with the health system is through emergency medical services (EMS). However, delay to treatment is still significant in developed countries, and international guidelines therefore recommend that EMS use prehospital electrocardiogram (ECG). Many...

This white paper focuses on the feasibility of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) recommendation to support a national cardiac arrest registry. A functional national cardiac arrest registry provides necessary research data to EMS and hospitals for improving cardiac arrest survival rates. This white paper contends the IOM recommendation falls short in considering the issues needed to ensure the s...

Background—National practice guidelines strongly recommend activation of the 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) by patients with symptoms consistent with an acute myocardial infarction (MI). We examined use of the EMS in the United States and ascertained the factors that may influence its use by patients with acute MI. Methods and Results—From June 1994 to March 1998, the National Registry o...