Early Restrictive vs Liberal Oxygen for Trauma Patients: The TRAUMOX2 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Early administration of supplemental oxygen for all severely injured trauma patients is recommended, but liberal oxygen treatment has been associated with increased risk of death and respiratory complications.

Objective: To determine whether an early 8-hour restrictive oxygen strategy compared with a liberal oxygen strategy in adult trauma patients would reduce death and/or major respiratory complications.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized controlled trial enrolled adult trauma patients transferred directly to hospitals, triggering a full trauma team activation with an anticipated hospital stay of a minimum of 24 hours from December 7, 2021, to September 12, 2023.

Establishing Outcome Parameters for Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Research in The Netherlands: Results of a Mixed-Methods Delphi Consensus Study.

Objectives: Physician staffed Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (P-HEMS) care in the Netherlands has transitioned from predominantly trauma management to handling a variety of medical conditions. Relevant outcome parameters for Dutch P-HEMS research have not been previously defined. National consensus was sought to identify relevant long term patient outcome parameters, process outcome parameters and performance outcome parameters for Dutch P-HEMS care.

Deferred consent in emergency trauma research: A qualitative study assessing the healthcare professional's opinions.

Introduction: Severely injured patients are often incapacitated to provide informed consent for clinical studies. Deferred consent could facilitate unbiased enrollment in studies involving these patients. Little is known about how healthcare professionals (HCPs) perceive deferred consent and how this impacts patient enrollment.

Emergency reflex action drill for traumatic cardiac arrest in a simulated pre-hospital setting; a one-group pre-post intervention study.

Background: Emergency Reflex Action Drills (ERADs) are meant to decrease stress-associated cognitive demand in high urgency situations. The aim of this study was to develop and test an ERAD for witnessed traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA), an event in which potentially reversible causes need to be systematically addressed and treated in a short period of time. We hypothesize that this ERAD (the TCA-Drill) helps ground Emergency Medical Services (EMS) nurses in overcoming performance decline during this specific high-pressure situation.

Impact of Point-of-Care Ultrasound on Prehospital Decision Making by HEMS Physicians in Critically Ill and Injured Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Several studies have shown the additional benefit of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) by prehospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Since organization of EMS may vary significantly across countries, the value of POCUS likely depends on the prehospital system in which it is used. In order to be able to optimally implement POCUS and develop a tailored training curriculum, it is important to know how often POCUS is currently used, for which indications it is used, and how it affects decision making.

Opportunities and barriers for prehospital emergency medical services research in the Netherlands; results of a mixed-methods consensus study.

Introduction: Quality improvement in prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) can only be achieved by high-quality research and critical appraisal of current practices. This study examines current opportunities and barriers in EMS research in the Netherlands.

Methods: This mixed-methods consensus study consisted of three phases.

Observer Variability as a Determinant of Measurement Error of Ultrasonographic Measurements of the Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter: A Systematic Review.

Background: Ultrasonographic measurements of the diameter of the sheath of the optic nerve can be used to assess intracranial pressure indirectly. These measurements come with measurement error.

Objective: Our aim was to estimate observer's measurement error as a determinant of ultrasonographic measurement variability of the optic nerve sheath diameter.

The impact of video laryngoscopy on the first-pass success rate of prehospital endotracheal intubation in The Netherlands: a retrospective observational study.

Purpose: The first-pass success rate for endotracheal intubation (ETI) depends on provider experience and exposure. We hypothesize that video laryngoscopy (VL) improves first-pass and overall ETI success rates in low and intermediate experienced airway providers and prevents from unrecognized oesophageal intubations in prehospital settings.

Methods: In this study 3632 patients were included.

Prehospital traumatic cardiac arrest: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Circulatory arrest after trauma is a life-threatening situation that mandates urgent action. The aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis on prehospital traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) were to provide an updated pooled mortality rate for prehospital TCA, to investigate the impact of the time of patient inclusion and the type of prehospital trauma system on TCA mortality rates and neurological outcome, and to investigate which pre- and intra-arrest factors are prognostic for prehospital TCA mortality.

Methods: This review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA and CHARMS guidelines.

Optic Nerve Sheath Viscoelastic Properties: Re-Examination of Biomechanical Behavior and Clinical Implications.

Background: Meta-analyses show a variable relationship between optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) and the presence of raised intracranial pressure (ICP). Because optic nerve sheath (ONS) tissue can be deformed, it is possible that ONSD reflects not only the current ICP but also prior deforming biomechanical exposures. In this post hoc analysis of two published data sets, we characterize ONS Young's modulus (E, mechanical stress per unit of strain) and calculate threshold pressure for plastic deformation.

Ambulance deceleration causes increased intra cranial pressure in supine position: a prospective observational prove of principle study.

Background: Ambulance drivers in the Netherlands are trained to drive as fluent as possible when transporting a head injured patient to the hospital. Acceleration and deceleration have the potential to create pressure changes in the head that may worsen outcome. Although the idea of fluid shift during braking causing intra cranial pressure (ICP) to rise is widely accepted, it lacks any scientific evidence.

Helicopter Transportation Increases Intracranial Pressure: a Proof-of-Principle Study.

Objective: After severe (primary) brain injury, Dutch physician-based helicopter emergency medical services start therapy to lower the intracranial pressure (ICP) on scene to stop or delay secondary brain injury. In some cases, helicopter transportation to the nearest level 1 trauma center is indicated. During transportation, the head-down position may counteract the ICP-lowering strategies because of venous blood pooling in the head.

Anesthetic Management During Emergency Surgical Ligation for Carotid Blowout Syndrome.

A 44-year-old man presented to our emergency department with a pharyngeal hemorrhage, 6 weeks after a total laryngectomy and extensive neck dissection. Immediate surgical intervention was necessary to stop massive arterial hemorrhage from the pharynx. The head and neck surgeon successfully ligated the common carotid artery during this procedure.

Defining the learning curve for endotracheal intubation using direct laryngoscopy: A systematic review.

More than two failed intubation attempts and failed endotracheal intubations (ETIs) are associated with severe complications and death. The aim of this review was to determine the number of ETIs a health care provider in training needs to perform to achieve proficiency within two attempts. A systematic search of the literature was conducted covering the time frame of January 1990 through July 2014.

Ultrasonographic measured optic nerve sheath diameter as an accurate and quick monitor for changes in intracranial pressure.

Object: Ultrasonographic measurement of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) is known to be an accurate monitor of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). However, it is yet unknown whether fluctuations in ICP result in direct changes in ONSD. Therefore, the authors researched whether ONSD and ICP simultaneously change during tracheal manipulation in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

[Fire by spontaneous combustion of oxygen cylinders].

The use of medicinal oxygen can be dangerous. The spontaneous combustion of an oxygen cylinder was the cause of a fire in an operating theatre and an emergency medical service. The fire developed after turning on the gas main while the flow supply valve was already open.