Predictive criteria for acute heart failure in emergency department patients with acute dyspnoea: the PREDICA study.

Objectives: The early identification of patients with Acute Heart Failure Syndrome (AHFS) among patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) with dyspnoea can facilitate the introduction of appropriate treatments. The objectives are to identify the predictive factors for AHFS diagnosis in patients with acute dyspnoea (primary objective) and the clinical 'gestalt' (secondary objective) in ED.

Methods: PREDICA is an observational, prospective, multicentre study.

Air pollution and activation of mobile medical team for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Background: The association between air pollution exposure and cardiovascular events is well established, and the effect of short-term exposure on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has received some attention. The effect of air pollution exposure and the activation of mobile intensive care units (MICUs) for cardiac arrest have never been studied.

Objective: We analyzed associations between air pollutants and MICU activation for OHCA.

Design and methods of European Ambulance Acute Coronary Syndrome Angiography Trial (EUROMAX): an international randomized open-label ambulance trial of bivalirudin versus standard-of-care anticoagulation in patients with acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction transferred for primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: In patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) triaged to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), anticoagulation often is initiated in the ambulance during transfer to a PCI site. In this prehospital setting, bivalirudin has not been compared with standard-of-care anticoagulation. In addition, it has not been tested in conjunction with the newer P2Y12 inhibitors prasugrel or ticagrelor.

Mechanism, glasgow coma scale, age, and arterial pressure (MGAP): a new simple prehospital triage score to predict mortality in trauma patients.

Objectives: Prehospital triage of trauma patients is of paramount importance because adequate trauma center referral improves survival. We developed a simple score that is easy to calculate in the prehospital phase.

Design: Multicenter prospective observational study.