Use of checklists improves the quality and safety of prehospital emergency care.

Objectives: High-level emergency medical care requires transfer of evidence-based knowledge into practice. Our study is the first to investigate the feasibility of checklists in improving prehospital emergency care.

Materials And Methods: Three checklists based on standard operating procedures were introduced: General principles of prehospital care, acute coronary syndrome and acute asthma/acutely exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Influence of an impedance threshold valve on ventilation with supraglottic airway devices during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a manikin.

Aim: This study investigates if a n impedance threshold valve (ITV) might improve survival after cardiac arrest by increasing vital organ blood flow. The combination of ITV and supraglottic airway devices (SADs) has not been previously studied. This simulation study in a manikin aimed at analysing differences in ventilation with different SADs without and with an ITV.

Helicopter emergency medical services accident rates in different international air rescue systems.

Aim: Each year approximately two to four helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) crashes occur in Germany. The aim of the present study was to compare crash rates and fatal crash rates in Germany to rates in other countries.

Materials And Methods: A MEDLINE search from 1970 to 2009 was performed using combinations of the keywords "HEMS", "rescue helicopter", "accident", "accident rate", "crash", and "crash rate".

Laryngeal tube and intubating laryngeal mask insertion in a manikin by first-responder trainees after a short video-clip demonstration.

Introduction: This study was performed in the Finnish Defense Forces to assess the potential applicability and value of short video clips as educational material to teach advanced airway management and as the first means of introducing the use of a laryngeal tube (LT) or an intubating laryngeal mask (ILMA) to inexperienced, military, first-responder trainees with no prior hands-on experience.

Methods: The 60 non-commissioned medical officers participating in this study were randomly assigned into one of two groups: the LT- and the ILMA-group. After viewing the video clips, the trainees were required to perform 10 consecutive, successful insertions of the given instrument into a manikin.