Background: Emergency life-saving technicians (ELSTs) are specially trained prehospital medical providers believed to provide better care than basic emergency medical technicians (BEMTs). ELSTs are certified to perform techniques such as administration of advanced airways or adrenaline and are considered to have more knowledge; nevertheless, ELSTs' effectiveness over BEMTs regarding out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains unclear. We investigated whether the presence of an ELST improves OHCA patient outcomes.
Methods: In a retrospective study of adult OHCA patients treated in Japan from 2011 to 2015, we compared two OHCA patient groups: patients transported with at least one ELST and patients transported by only BEMTs. The primary outcome measure was one-month favorable neurological outcomes, defined as Cerebral Performance Category ≤ 2. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and their confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the effect of ELSTs.
Results: Included were 552,337 OHCA patients, with 538,222 patients in the ELST group and 14,115 in the BEMT group. The ELST group had a significantly higher odds of favorable neurological outcomes (2.5% vs. 2.1%, adjusted OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.17-1.66), one-month survival (4.9% vs. 4.1%, adjusted OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.22-1.54), and return of spontaneous circulation (8.1% vs. 5.1%, adjusted OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.72-2.11) compared with the BEMT group. However, ELSTs' limited procedure range (adrenaline administration or advanced airway management) did not promote favorable neurological outcomes.
Conclusions: Compared with the BEMT group, transport by the ELST group was associated with better neurological outcomes in OHCA.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2020.05.007 | DOI Listing |
Wearable Technol
December 2024
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
This work studies upper-limb impairment resulting from stroke or traumatic brain injury and presents a simple technological solution for a subset of patients: a soft, active stretching aid for at-home use. To better understand the issues associated with existing associated rehabilitation devices, customer discovery conversations were conducted with 153 people in the healthcare ecosystem (60 patients, 30 caregivers, and 63 medical providers). These patients fell into two populations: spastic (stiff, clenched hands) and flaccid (limp hands).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurol Sci
January 2025
Hematology Unit, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy.
Background: The coexistence of sickle cell anemia and multiple sclerosis in a single patient presents a rare and challenging clinical scenario, possibly favoured by the interplay between chronic inflammatory states and autoimmune processes.
Methos/results: We present the case of a 36-year-old woman with sickle cell anemia who developed progressive neurological symptoms leading to frequent falls and paraparesis; magnetic resonance imaging showed many periventricular, infratentorial, and both cervical and dorsal spinal cord lesions, leading to a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. After a multidisciplinary approach the patient was successfully started on ofatumumab.
Resusc Plus
January 2025
Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
Aim: To assess the clinical outcomes of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest attended by prehospital critical care teams compared to non-critical care teams.
Methods: This review was prospectively registered with PROSPERO and the eligibility criteria followed a PICOST framework for ILCOR systematic reviews. Prehospital critical care was defined as any provider with enhanced clinical competencies beyond standard advanced life support algorithms and dedicated dispatch to critically ill patients.
Environ Health Prev Med
January 2025
Division of Environmental Medicine and Population Sciences, Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University.
Background: A comprehensive understanding of the epidemiology of pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) occurring under school supervision is lacking. We aimed to comprehensively describe the characteristics and outcomes of OHCA among students in elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, and technical colleges in Japan.
Methods: OHCA data from 2008-2021 were obtained from the SPIRITS study, which provides a nationwide database of OHCAs occurring under school supervision across Japan.
Eur J Neurol
January 2025
Stroke Unit, Udine University Hospital, Udine, Italy.
Background: Although mechanical thrombectomy (MT) represents the standard of care for ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusion (LVO), the impact of sex on outcomes in tandem occlusions remains unclear. We investigated sex-based differences in outcomes after MT for tandem occlusions.
Methods: This multicenter observational study included consecutive patients with tandem occlusion treated with MT across three stroke centers (2021-2023).
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