Ready for Discharge? A Survey of Discharge Transition-of-Care Education and Evaluation in Emergency Medicine Residency Programs.

This study aimed to assess current education and practices of emergency medicine (EM) residents as perceived by EM program directors to determine if there are deficits in resident discharge handoff training. This survey study was guided by the Kern model for medical curriculum development. A six-member Council of EM Residency Directors (CORD) Transitions of Care task force of EM physicians performed these steps and constructed a survey.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor does not improve recovery after cardiac arrest in rats.

Increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) signaling are associated with reduced brain injury after cerebral ischemia. In particular, mild hypothermia after cardiac arrest increases BDNF and ERK signaling. This study tested whether intracerebroventricular infusions (0.

Work of CPR during two different compression to ventilation ratios with real-time feedback.

Background: The 2005 Emergency Cardiac Care guidelines for basic life support (BLS) recommend compression to ventilation ratio of 30:2. The effect of the additional exertion required to deliver more chest compressions may present a considerable physical burden on the provider.

Objective: To compare cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance and perceived exertion during compression to ventilation ratios of 15:2 and 30:2 with real-time feedback during two-rescuer CPR.

Adenosine A1 receptor antagonism hastens the decay in ventricular fibrillation waveform morphology during porcine cardiac arrest.

Background: Endogenous adenosine (ADO) is known to be cardioprotective during acute myocardial ischemia. Coronary sinus ADO concentration has recently been shown to increase nearly 13-fold over baseline levels after 5 min of untreated ventricular fibrillation (VF). The role of ADO in VF has never been previously examined.

A randomized comparison of manual, mechanical and high-impulse chest compression in a porcine model of prolonged ventricular fibrillation.

Background: Elevated coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) during CPR is associated with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). We compared CPP achieved with three methods of chest compression: manual (MAN), mechanical (MECH) and high-impulse mechanical (HI) in a porcine model of prolonged ventricular fibrillation (VF). We hypothesized that HI (very rapid acceleration of the down-stroke) would produce greater CPPs than MAN or MECH, and that HI would also produce a higher rate of ROSC.