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IMPROVED SURVIVAL AFTER TRANSFER
This retrospective study from the US concluded that there is a lower in-hospital mortality in those patients who are transferred from rural, non-tertiary hospital emergency departments to level I hospitals, when compared with those who remain at non-trauma centres. Whether this can be extrapolated to other countries is unclear (J Trauma 2007;63:965–71).
THE PRESSURE IS ON TO CONTROL PAIN
Austrian paramedics are unable to administer analgesia in the pre-hospital environment. A prospective, randomised, double-blinded trial was performed to assess the effectiveness of acupressure in the treatment of pain caused by distal radial fractures, with the control being sham acupressure. Results indicated that in the treatment group, pain and anxiety were significantly reduced, although Sophia suspects that entonox and morphine will still feature in paramedics’ armoury in other countries (Am J Emerg Med 2007;25:887–93).
INTRAVENOUS MAGNESIUM FOR AF
Sophia has suggested previously that the treatment of acute onset atrial fibrillation is often a therapeutic dilemma. A meta-analysis published in Heart (2007;93:1433–40) examines the use of intravenous magnesium and concludes that when used in …