Publications by authors named "Frank Dos Santos"
Introduction: The goal of this study was to compare application of the Kendrick Extrication Device (KED) versus rapid extrication (RE) by emergency medical service personnel. Our primary endpoints were movement of head, time to extrication and patient comfort by a visual analogue scale.
Methods: We used 23 subjects in two scenarios for this study.
Background: Acute radicular back pain is a frequent complaint of patients presenting to the Emergency Department.
Study Objective: Determine the efficacy of intravenous lidocaine when compared to ketorolac for the treatment of acute radicular low back pain.
Methods: Randomized double-blind study of 41 patients aged 18-55 years presenting with acute radicular low back pain.
Background: Actual body weight (ABW) is important for accurate drug dosing in emergency settings. Oftentimes, patients are unable to stand to be weighed accurately or clearly state their most recent weight.
Objective: Develop a bedside method to estimate ABW using simple anthropometric measurements.
Objective: We evaluated the benefit of emergency medical services providers' placing a second intravenous (IV) line in the prehospital trauma setting. Our hypothesis was that the placement of a second IV catheter in trauma does not result in an improvement in heart rate, blood pressure, rehospitalizaton rate, or 30-day mortality.
Methods: A retrospective chart review of 320 trauma patients in a one-year period was conducted at our level I trauma center.
Background: Several studies have been published in the literature about intubation methods, but little is available on intubation equipment used in this setting. This is the first prehospital comparison of disposable plastic vs disposable stainless steel laryngoscope blades used by paramedics.
Study Objective: The objective of this study was to compare prehospital intubation success rates on first attempt and overall number of attempts to obtain intubations using disposable plastic laryngoscopes blades vs disposable stainless steel laryngoscope blades.
Background: Ideal body weight (IBW), which can be calculated using the variables of true height and sex, is important for drug dosing and ventilator settings. True height often cannot be measured in the emergency department (ED).
Objectives: Determine the most accurate method to estimate IBW using true height-based IBW that uses true height estimated by providers or patients compared to true height estimated by a regression formula using measured tibial length, and compare all to the conventional 70 kg male/60 kg female standard IBW.
Introduction: Naloxone's use in cardiac arrest has been of recent interest, stimulated by conflicting results in both human case reports and animal studies demonstrating antiarrhythmic and positive ionotropic effects. We hypothesized that naloxone administration during cardiac arrest, in suspected opioid overdosed patients, is associated with a change in cardiac rhythm.
Methods: From a database of 32,544 advanced life support (ALS) emergency medical dispatches between January 2003 and December 2007, a retrospective chart review was completed of patients receiving naloxone in cardiac arrest.
Background: Hypothermia is a frequent complication of cold weather exposure and/or wilderness injuries. Anecdotal reports have postulated that patients suffering from acute hypothermia are at significantly increased risk of developing lethal cardiac dysrhythmias secondary to the physical stimulation from moving and transporting patients.
Objective: To develop a model to attempt to determine if rough handling and sudden movement can induce lethal cardiac dysrhythmias in a controlled animal study of mild to severe hypothermia.