The Norwegian guidelines for the prehospital management of adult trauma patients with potential spinal injury.

The traditional prehospital management of trauma victims with potential spinal injury has become increasingly questioned as authors and clinicians have raised concerns about over-triage and harm. In order to address these concerns, the Norwegian National Competence Service for Traumatology commissioned a faculty to provide a national guideline for pre-hospital spinal stabilisation. This work is based on a systematic review of available literature and a standardised consensus process.

Body Positioning of Buried Avalanche Victims.

Objective: The immediate medical management of buried avalanche victims will to some extent be dictated by the victim's body positioning in the snow. Medical personnel are trained to assess and manage victims in a supine body position. Furthermore, avalanche first responders are trained to handle extricated avalanche victims carefully out of concerns for causing hemodynamic instability or for aggravating spinal injury.

Resuscitative thoracotomies and open chest cardiac compressions in non-traumatic cardiac arrest.

Since the popularisation of closed chest cardiac compressions in the 1960s, open chest compressions in non-traumatic cardiac arrest have become a largely forgotten art. Today, open chest compressions are only rarely performed outside operating theatres. Early defibrillation and high quality closed chest compressions is the dominating gold standard for the layman on the street as well as for the resuscitation specialist.