A randomized, controlled comparison of cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed on the floor and on a moving ambulance stretcher.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) of poor quality is associated with worsened outcomes.

Objective: To compare the quality of CPR delivered on the floor with the quality of CPR delivered on a moving stretcher. The authors hypothesized that CPR performed on the floor would be superior to that performed on a moving stretcher.

Quality of BLS decreases with increasing resuscitation complexity.

Objective: Multiple procedures performed in parallel may cause each procedure to be performed less effectively than if performed in isolation. BLS performed by prehospital providers potentially includes artificial ventilations, chest compressions, and application of an automated external defibrillator (AED). This study examines the effectiveness of artificial ventilation and chest compressions both with and without an AED.

Feasibility of sternal intraosseous access by emergency medical technician students.

Objective: Emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-B) providers are not trained to establish vascular or intraosseous (IO) access on critically ill patients. This study was conducted to examine the feasibility of training EMT-B students to correctly place a commercial sternal IO infusion device (FAST-1).

Methods: Twenty-nine EMT-B students attended a two-hour training session.

The effect of a voice assist manikin (VAM) system on CPR quality among prehospital providers.

Unlabelled: Numerous studies have documented poor cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance among prehospital providers during both simulated and actual resuscitations. Previous studies have shown that a real-time, voice assist manikin (VAM) system may improve CPR performance.

Objective: To determine whether VAM prompting would improve CPR performance by prehospital providers during simulated resuscitation.

A comparison of CPR delivery with various compression-to-ventilation ratios during two-rescuer CPR.

Background: The number of chest compressions required for optimal generation of coronary perfusion pressure remains unknown although studies examining compression-to-ventilation ratios higher than 15:2 (C:V) in animals have reported higher C:V to be superior for return of spontaneous circulation and neurologic outcome. We examined human performance of two-rescuer CPR using various C:V.

Methods: Thirty six EMT-Basic students in their final week of training performed two-rescuer CPR using C:V of 15:2, 30:2, 40:2, 50:2, and 60:2 on a recording resuscitation manikin.

Vasopressin administered with epinephrine is associated with a return of a pulse in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Objective: Recent data suggest that using vasopressin in combination with epinephrine (adrenaline) may improve treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. This study examined local experience with the combination of epinephrine and vasopressin administration.

Methods: Data were obtained from an urban, municipal emergency medical service that does not include vasopressin in its formulary.