Variation in accessibility of the population to an Emergency Medical Communication Centre: a multicentre observational study.

Background: Access to an Emergency Medical Communication Centre is essential for the population in emergency situations. Handling inbound calls without delay requires managing activity, process and outcome measures of the Emergency Medical Communication Centre to improve the workforce management and the level of service. France is facing political decisions on the evolution of the organisation of Emergency Medical Communication Centres to improve accessibility for the population.

Early High-Dose Erythropoietin Therapy After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Preliminary data suggested a clinical benefit in treating out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients with a high dose of erythropoietin (Epo) analogs.

Objectives: The authors aimed to evaluate the efficacy of epoetin alfa treatment on the outcome of OHCA patients in a phase 3 trial.

Methods: The authors performed a multicenter, single-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Extracorporeal life support in a case of fatal flecainide and betaxolol poisoning allowing successful cardiac allograft.

Use of cardiac allograft for transplantation from donors after acute poisoning is a matter of debate because of potential toxic organ injuries, especially if death results from massive ingestion of cardiotoxic drugs. We report successful allograft cardiac transplantation from a brain-dead patient after severe flecainide and betaxolol self-poisoning requiring extracorporeal life support. Extracorporeal life support was initiated in the emergency department because of a refractory cardiac arrest caused by the cardiotoxicants' ingestion and continued after the onset of brain death to facilitate organ donation of the heart, liver, and kidneys.

Comparison of intravenous and intraosseous access by pre-hospital medical emergency personnel with and without CBRN protective equipment.

Introduction: Rapid intravascular access is a prerequisite component of emergency care and resuscitation. Peripheral intravenous (IV) access is the first-choice for most of the medical or trauma patients, but may be delayed in emergency conditions because of various difficulties. Elsewhere, intraosseous (IO) access may now be easily performed with a new semi-automatic battery-powered IO-insertion device (EZ-IO.

Early high-dose erythropoietin therapy and hypothermia after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a matched control study.

Aim: To test the possible neuroprotective effect of early high-dose erythropoietin-alpha (Epo-alpha) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Methods: A matched control study. Following resuscitation with mild hypothermia after OHCA, participants received a first dose of Epo-alpha followed by four additional injections within 48 h (40,000 IU intravenously each injection).

Referent d-dimer enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay testing is of limited value in the exclusion of thromboembolic disease: result of a practical study in an ED.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess in clinical practice the accuracy of a referent d-dimer enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the exclusion of venous thromboembolic disease (VTED).

Patients And Methods: An observational prospective study took place in an emergency department; 205 consecutive outpatients suspected of having VTED were included. Blood samples were collected at admission for VIDAS DD measurement.