Planning for a medical surge incident: Is rehabilitation the missing link?

This mixed methods study explored surge planning for patients who will need rehabilitative care after a mass casualty incident. Planning for a patient surge incident typically considers only prehospital and hospital care. However, in many cases, disaster patients need rehabilitation for which planning is often overlooked.

Prevalence of prehospital hypoxemia and oxygen use in trauma patients.

Objective: This study estimates the prevalence of injured patients requiring prehospital supplemental oxygen based on existing recommendations, and determines whether actual use exceeds those recommendations.

Patients And Methods: Prehospital oxygen use and continuous peripheral oxygen saturation measurements were prospectively collected on a purposive sample of injured civilians transported to an urban level 1 trauma center by paramedics. Structured chart review determined injury characteristics and outcomes.