Paramedic Interventions and Adverse Patient Events during Prolonged Interfacility Ground Transport in a "Drip and Ship" Pharmacoinvasive Model of STEMI Care.

Objective: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the preferred reperfusion strategy for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, when primary PCI is not available in a timely fashion, fibrinolysis and early transfer for routine PCI is recommended. Prince Edward Island (PEI) is the only province in Canada without a PCI facility, and distances to the nearest PCI-capable facilities are between 290 and 374 kilometers.

Just the Facts: Hypertension in the emergency department.

A 65-year-old female smoker complains of dizziness and mild headache. While at the local pharmacy buying acetaminophen, she decides to check her blood pressure to see if it could be "causing her symptoms." Her initial measurement is 220/96 mm Hg.

Just the facts: Pediatric Dental and Oral Injuries.

A 16-month-old presents to the emergency department (ED) after a fall while running at home. Her mother noted some blood in the child's mouth and believed there was a tear in the skin above the front teeth.

Remote Scene Size-up Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in a Simulated Mass Casualty Incident.

Introduction: The scene-size-up is a crucial first step in the response to a mass casualty incident (MCI). Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) may potentially enhance the scene-size-up with real-time visual feedback during chaotic, evolving or inaccessible events. We performed this study to test the feasibility of paramedics using UAV video from a simulated MCI to identify scene hazards, initiate patient triage, and designate key operational locations.

Cut and rip and cut alone techniques versus usual practice in the removal of trauma patient clothing.

Unlabelled: IntroductionRapid exposure of a trauma patient is an essential component of the primary survey. No gold standard exists regarding the best technique to remove clothing from a trauma patient. The purpose of this study is to compare two techniques of clothing removal versus usual practice using standard trauma shears.

Major injury associated with all-terrain vehicle use in Nova Scotia: a 5-year review.

Background: Riding all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) is a popular recreational activity, with approximately 1.5 million users in Canada. Despite legislation aimed at reducing injury rates, ATV-related incidents remain a major cause of trauma and death.

Occupational injuries and stressors among Canadian air medical health care professionals in rotor-wing programs.

Introduction: Air medical health care providers work in a unique environment that may affect occupational injury rates and patterns. Despite this knowledge, little high-quality evidence exists regarding occupational injuries specifically incurred by air medical health care professionals. We sought to characterize the epidemiology of occupational injuries experienced by Canadian rotor-wing health care providers.