We would like to comment of the use of waveform capnography (WC) as an adjunct to help determine adequate paralysis during rapid sequence induction (RSI). The article used recognition of apnoea by loss of WC as an early indicator of muscle paralysis and evidence was presented that this method improved first pass success rates and reduced time to intubation for RSI in an emergency setting.
Although apnoea can be a useful indicator for the presence of paralysis we would suggest that use of a peripheral nerve stimulator is a more accurate tool for determining when muscle relaxants have produced an adequate effect. The use of this simple and relatively inexpensive machine is standard practice for anaesthetists in determining the level of paralysis. It is also viewed as a standard for provision of anaesthesia outside of the operating theatre environment (Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland: Recommendations for standards of monitoring during anaesthesia and recovery, 2015, Page 8). We suggest from clinical experience that apnoea alone does not always reflect adequate muscle relaxation to allow for optimal intubating conditions. Reactive vocal cords may be present despite apparent correct dosing and timing of muscle relaxants. In addition, apnoea and loss of WC could possibly be a reflection of respiratory depression due to administration of the anaesthetic induction agent, opiods or a deteriorating clinical condition.
We would like to comment of the use of waveform capnography (WC) as an adjunct to help determine adequate paralysis during rapid sequence induction (RSI). The article used recognition of apnoea by loss of WC as an early indicator of muscle paralysis and evidence was presented that this method improved first pass success rates and reduced time to intubation for RSI in an emergency setting.
Although apnoea can be a useful indicator for the presence of paralysis we would suggest that use of a peripheral nerve stimulator is a more accurate tool for determining when muscle relaxants have produced an adequate effect. The use of this simple and relatively inexpensive machine is standard practice for anaesthetists in determining the level of paralysis. It is also viewed as a standard for provision of anaesthesia outside of the operating theatre environment (Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland: Recommendations for standards of monitoring during anaesthesia and recovery, 2015, Page 8). We suggest from clinical experience that apnoea alone does not always reflect adequate muscle relaxation to allow for optimal intubating conditions. Reactive vocal cords may be present despite apparent correct dosing and timing of muscle relaxants. In addition, apnoea and loss of WC could possibly be a reflection of respiratory depression due to administration of the anaesthetic induction agent, opiods or a deteriorating clinical condition.
We recognise that some Emergency Medicine doctors may not be familiar with the use of nerve stimulators and that they may not be readily available within all Emergency Departments. We suggest that Emergency Departments should consider keeping a peripheral nerve stimulator as standard equipment. We would argue that this would then permit clinicians who are familiar with their use to have a more objective ability to determine depth of muscle relaxation during RSI, leading to improved intubating conditions.
Sir,
You articulate and document the catalogue of evidence supporting the health impacts of climate change admirably in your editorial ‘Peering through the hourglass’ (Lemery, 2017), but the Emergency Medicine world is not as disconnected as you make out. The Red Cross Movement, known traditionally for its humanitarian action, has long had expert emergency medicine at the heart of its work on preparedness for crisis, including natural disasters such as those precipitated by climate change.
Our international First Aid and Resuscitation Guidelines (IFRC, 2016) are based soundly on science and support the interventions of lay responders and medical professionals across the globe. Our Global First Aid app is now used in 90 countries, bespoke to each one through careful translation and cultural relevance. The British Red Cross, American Red Cross and others have developed their own additional apps, specific to the disasters that might occur, such as flooding, hurricanes and tornadoes. These, too, are rooted in clinical science and educational methodology supporting the public to learn, be prepared and be resilient.
Beyond technology, our thousands of staff and volunteers across the world work closely with local authorities in their planning for natural disasters, ensuring systems are in place to cope with the practical realities, as well as the humanitarian care needed for those affected. This work inevitably draws attention to the humanitarian crises that...
Sir,
You articulate and document the catalogue of evidence supporting the health impacts of climate change admirably in your editorial ‘Peering through the hourglass’ (Lemery, 2017), but the Emergency Medicine world is not as disconnected as you make out. The Red Cross Movement, known traditionally for its humanitarian action, has long had expert emergency medicine at the heart of its work on preparedness for crisis, including natural disasters such as those precipitated by climate change.
Our international First Aid and Resuscitation Guidelines (IFRC, 2016) are based soundly on science and support the interventions of lay responders and medical professionals across the globe. Our Global First Aid app is now used in 90 countries, bespoke to each one through careful translation and cultural relevance. The British Red Cross, American Red Cross and others have developed their own additional apps, specific to the disasters that might occur, such as flooding, hurricanes and tornadoes. These, too, are rooted in clinical science and educational methodology supporting the public to learn, be prepared and be resilient.
Beyond technology, our thousands of staff and volunteers across the world work closely with local authorities in their planning for natural disasters, ensuring systems are in place to cope with the practical realities, as well as the humanitarian care needed for those affected. This work inevitably draws attention to the humanitarian crises that result from increased numbers and intensities of events linked to climate change.
Although first aid has traditionally been seen as an emergency response intervention, we have developed a ‘chain of survival behaviour’ being explicit about the role of preparation for interventions to be effective (www.ifrc.org/Global/Publications/Health/First-Aid-2016-Guidelines_EN.pdf).
This approach is now embedded across our education programmes and forms a literal and practical link between public health and emergency response, in an endeavour to bring greater recognition to their essential juxtaposition to support individual and community resilience.
Emily Oliver, Senior Education Research Manager, British Red Cross
Dr Pascal Cassan, Head, Global First Aid Reference Centre, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Lemery J, Peering through the hourglass Emerg Med J Published Online First: 09 February 2017. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2016-206500
I congratulate the authors on their research. It is important to highlight that the Manchester triage system does incorporate shock or low blood pressure into its flow charts. It is described in the general discriminator text and flow chart. Any patients who are shocked should be triaged into priority one, if following the rules of MTS.
Therefore in this study all 9 of the 26 patients with a blood pressure of less than 90 mmHg should have been triaged into priority one, according to the rules of MTS. If these patients had been triaged in this way, the results of your study could be significantly affected.
We look forward to seeing further research from your selves in this area
We read with interest the recent Best Evidence Topic (BET) report by L Varley and L Howard, ‘Trendelenburg position helps to cardiovert patients in SVT back to sinus rhythm.’[1] We are grateful that this BET highlighted the substantial benefit of using a postural modification to the Valsalva manoeuvre for re-entrant SVT[2]. However, whist we agree with the ‘Clinical Bottom Line’, we feel the title of this BET was misleading and does not reflect current evidence.
‘Trendelenburg position’ is typically used to describe a supine patient with the bed tilted head down below the level of the pelvis.[3] Although this position was associated with a higher rate of cardioversion in a small, uncontrolled before and after study[4], no physiological benefits of this position have been demonstrated[5] and it was not used in the REVERT trial, the largest RCT of VM modification to date.
For clarification, in our study the Valsalva strain was conducted in the semi-sitting position with movement to the supine position with leg elevation, immediately at the end of the strain. There are plausible physiological reasons why this specific sequence of postural changes and timing of strain may improve Valsalva effectiveness as described in our paper. Although it is possible that Trendelenburg positioning after straining might further improve cardioversion rates, this has not been tested to date.
We read with interest the recent Best Evidence Topic (BET) report by L Varley and L Howard, ‘Trendelenburg position helps to cardiovert patients in SVT back to sinus rhythm.’[1] We are grateful that this BET highlighted the substantial benefit of using a postural modification to the Valsalva manoeuvre for re-entrant SVT[2]. However, whist we agree with the ‘Clinical Bottom Line’, we feel the title of this BET was misleading and does not reflect current evidence.
‘Trendelenburg position’ is typically used to describe a supine patient with the bed tilted head down below the level of the pelvis.[3] Although this position was associated with a higher rate of cardioversion in a small, uncontrolled before and after study[4], no physiological benefits of this position have been demonstrated[5] and it was not used in the REVERT trial, the largest RCT of VM modification to date.
For clarification, in our study the Valsalva strain was conducted in the semi-sitting position with movement to the supine position with leg elevation, immediately at the end of the strain. There are plausible physiological reasons why this specific sequence of postural changes and timing of strain may improve Valsalva effectiveness as described in our paper. Although it is possible that Trendelenburg positioning after straining might further improve cardioversion rates, this has not been tested to date.
Yours sincerely
On behalf of the REVERT study Team
References:
1) L Varley, L Howard BET 2: Trendelenburg position helps to cardiovert patients in SVT back to sinus rhythm EMJ 2017 page 189; 34: 189-190 DOI: 10.1136/emermed-2017-206590.2
2) Appelboam A, Reuben A, Mann C, et al; REVERT Trial Collaborators. Postural modification to the standard Valsalva manoeuvre for emergency treatment of supraventricular tachycardias (REVERT): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 201531.;386:1747–53.
3) Willy Meyer (1854-1932), in [von Langenbeck’s] Archiv für klinische Chirurgie, Berlin, 1885, 31: 495-525.
4) Walker S, Cutting P. Impact of a modified Valsalva manoeuvre in the termination of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. Emergency Medicine Journal 2010;27:287-291
5) Smith G, Broek A, Taylor DM, et al. Identification of the optimum vagal manoeuvre technique for maximising vagal tone. Emerg Med J 2015;32:51-54.
Sir,
You articulate and document the catalogue of evidence supporting the health impacts of climate change admirably in your editorial ‘Peering through the hourglass’ (Lemery, 2017), but the Emergency Medicine world is not as disconnected as you make out. The Red Cross Movement, known traditionally for its humanitarian action, has long had expert emergency medicine at the heart of its work on preparedness for crisis, including natural disasters such as those precipitated by climate change.
Our international First Aid and Resuscitation Guidelines (IFRC, 2016) are based soundly on science and support the interventions of lay responders and medical professionals across the globe. Our Global First Aid app is now used in 90 countries, bespoke to each one through careful translation and cultural relevance. The British Red Cross, American Red Cross and others have developed their own additional apps, specific to the disasters that might occur, such as flooding, hurricanes and tornadoes. These, too, are rooted in clinical science and educational methodology supporting the public to learn, be prepared and be resilient.
Beyond technology, our thousands of staff and volunteers across the world work closely with local authorities in their planning for natural disasters, ensuring systems are in place to cope with the practical realities, as well as the humanitarian care needed for those affected. This work inevitably draws attention to the humanitarian crises that...
Sir,
You articulate and document the catalogue of evidence supporting the health impacts of climate change admirably in your editorial ‘Peering through the hourglass’ (Lemery, 2017), but the Emergency Medicine world is not as disconnected as you make out. The Red Cross Movement, known traditionally for its humanitarian action, has long had expert emergency medicine at the heart of its work on preparedness for crisis, including natural disasters such as those precipitated by climate change.
Our international First Aid and Resuscitation Guidelines (IFRC, 2016) are based soundly on science and support the interventions of lay responders and medical professionals across the globe. Our Global First Aid app is now used in 90 countries, bespoke to each one through careful translation and cultural relevance. The British Red Cross, American Red Cross and others have developed their own additional apps, specific to the disasters that might occur, such as flooding, hurricanes and tornadoes. These, too, are rooted in clinical science and educational methodology supporting the public to learn, be prepared and be resilient.
Beyond technology, our thousands of staff and volunteers across the world work closely with local authorities in their planning for natural disasters, ensuring systems are in place to cope with the practical realities, as well as the humanitarian care needed for those affected. This work inevitably draws attention to the humanitarian crises that result from increased numbers and intensities of events linked to climate change.
Although first aid has traditionally been seen as an emergency response intervention, we have developed a ‘chain of survival behaviour’ being explicit about the role of preparation for interventions to be effective (www.ifrc.org/Global/Publications/Health/First-Aid-2016-Guidelines_EN.pdf).
This approach is now embedded across our education programmes and forms a literal and practical link between public health and emergency response, in an endeavour to bring greater recognition to their essential juxtaposition to support individual and community resilience.
Emily Oliver, Senior Education Research Manager, British Red Cross
Dr Pascal Cassan, Head, Global First Aid Reference Centre, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Lemery J, Peering through the hourglass Emerg Med J Published Online First: 09 February 2017. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2016-206500
It would be useful to know the Total number of traumatic cardiac
arrests treated by the system during these three years. Hard to draw
conclusions on effectiveness without this figure. Also note different
results in the paper Chiang W-C et all on the next page of the journal.
(Emerg Med J 2017; 34: 39-45).
In your intersting RCT of propofol versus midazolam sedation, you
describe giving a fentanyl dose of 3mcg/kg, in conjunction with a titrated
dose of propofol or midazolam.
This appears a pretty large dose, compared to the procedural sedation
literature, where the usual dose is 1 mcg/kg (min-max 0.5-2.0).[1-2]
From previous research with propofol and midazolam in the Emergency
Depa...
In your intersting RCT of propofol versus midazolam sedation, you
describe giving a fentanyl dose of 3mcg/kg, in conjunction with a titrated
dose of propofol or midazolam.
This appears a pretty large dose, compared to the procedural sedation
literature, where the usual dose is 1 mcg/kg (min-max 0.5-2.0).[1-2]
From previous research with propofol and midazolam in the Emergency
Department, adverse event rate is between 4 and 30%, and around 11% in a
1711 patient cohort.[3] If your fentanyl dose of 3 mcg/kg is indeed
correct, I'm curious how you succeeded to have no patients with a
respiratory depression.
kind regards,
dr. Gael Smits, Emergency Physician
1. Hohl CM, Sadatsafavi M, Nosyk B, et al. Safety and clinical
effectiveness of midazolam versus propofol for procedural sedation in the
emergency department: a systematic review. Acad Emerg Med 2008;15:1-8.
doi:10.1111/j.1553-2712.2007.00022.x
2. Kuypers MI, Mencl F, Verhagen MF, et al. Safety and efficacy of
procedural sedation with propofol in a country with a young emergency
medicine training program. Eur J Emerg Med 2011;18:162-7.
doi:10.1097/MEJ.0b013e32834230fb
3. Smits GJ, Kuypers MI, Mignot LA, et al. Procedural sedation in the
emergency department by Dutch emergency physicians: a prospective
multicentre observational study of 1711 adults. 2016;:1-6.
doi:10.1136/emermed
We thank the authors Challen and Roland for their review (1) which
highlights a very important issue faced daily in our Emergency
Departments.
The use of, and more importantly, reliance on the Early Warning Score
(EWS) carries risk as up to 1:3 patients admitted to ICU from ED will not
score highly on the EWS (2). Clinician opinion may prove a superior
assessment tool; this is not adequately explored. Experien...
We thank the authors Challen and Roland for their review (1) which
highlights a very important issue faced daily in our Emergency
Departments.
The use of, and more importantly, reliance on the Early Warning Score
(EWS) carries risk as up to 1:3 patients admitted to ICU from ED will not
score highly on the EWS (2). Clinician opinion may prove a superior
assessment tool; this is not adequately explored. Experienced nurse and
medical clinicians may be well tuned to using clinical judgement alongside
EWS, however more junior staff may be led into a false sense of security
by low scores and ignore their own gestalt.
We conducted a pilot study in our Emergency Department (ED) a few
years ago (3) which compared the use of the MEWS (Modified Early Warning
Score) with the results of a point of care blood gas analysed as EWS for
deviation from normal.
What we found was that the blood gas score was independently able to
predict imminent organ failure and death (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.13-1.62,
P=0.001, and OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.13-2.69, P=0.01, respectively), proving
superior to MEWS which failed to do so in multivariate analysis.
Identifying critical illness is a core skill for Emergency Medicine.
Simple physiological scoring is widely supported despite a lack of data
from Emergency Departments. The role of these scores in identifying
patients safe for discharge also requires further study. Practical scoring
systems, perhaps including a point of care metabolic panel, should be
developed and validated for use in the ED.
1. Challen K, Roland D. Early warning scores: a health warning. Emerg
Med J. 2016.
2. Subbe CP, Slater A, Menon D, Gemmell L. Validation of
physiological scoring systems in the accident and emergency department.
Emerg Med J2006;23:841-845
3. Jafar AJ, Junghans C, Kwok CS, Hymers C, Monk KJ, Gold E, et al.
Do physiological scoring and a novel point of care metabolic screen
predict 48-h outcome in admissions from the emergency department
resuscitation area? Eur J Emerg Med. 2016;23(2):130-6.
Dr. Basu et al. make an interesting observation: if you kick the dog,
eventually he will bite the mailman.
How is it we think we can treat the workers without compassion or empathy
while expecting them to treat the patients with these same virtues, ones
we don't practice?
This article and an ever-expanding body of literature make it clear:
we must treat our staff in the same way we expect them to treat patients....
Dr. Basu et al. make an interesting observation: if you kick the dog,
eventually he will bite the mailman.
How is it we think we can treat the workers without compassion or empathy
while expecting them to treat the patients with these same virtues, ones
we don't practice?
This article and an ever-expanding body of literature make it clear:
we must treat our staff in the same way we expect them to treat patients.
Walker et al. report the first economic analysis of the cost of
training medical scribes (1). The concept of the medical scribe has been
around for at least 4 decades (2), but with the recent advent of the
electronic medical record (EMR), especially in the US, there has been a
rapid increase in the use of scribes, particularly in emergency
departments (3). The ongoing exponential growth in the use of scribes has
been re...
Walker et al. report the first economic analysis of the cost of
training medical scribes (1). The concept of the medical scribe has been
around for at least 4 decades (2), but with the recent advent of the
electronic medical record (EMR), especially in the US, there has been a
rapid increase in the use of scribes, particularly in emergency
departments (3). The ongoing exponential growth in the use of scribes has
been referred to as the "great scribe experiment" (4). Currently 1 in 5
practices with an EMR uses scribes (4). The data so far suggests that
scribes increase physician productivity and revenue as well as both
patient and physician satisfaction (3,5).
Two approaches to training medical scribes have been described:
teaching existing medical personal to perform scribing duties, or bringing
on new personnel entirely devoted to scribing. The medical scribe field,
as well as Walker et al., are now moving towards the later method, which
generally attracts students and recent college graduates looking to obtain
medical knowledge and experience before moving on to additional training
in the medical field, such as medical or physician assistant school. While
the later method has its advantages, it leads to frequent turnover and
thus the need for near-continuous training of new scribes, which is why is
it critical to evaluate the scribe training process. Walker et al. have
made an important contribution in describing the start up cost of a scribe
program, but the costs of maintaining an ongoing program are equally, if
not more, important.
In order to bring in medical scribes, hospitals or medical groups
generally take one of two approaches. They either contract with existing
outside scribe companies (ie. ScribeAmerica, PhysAssist, etc.), or they
build an in-house scribe program from the ground up, similar to the
process reported by Walker et al. The former approach may be more
expedient and even cost effective in the short term, however it is unclear
whether it would be as beneficial in the long term and is not an option
for every practice or department, particularly those in rural areas.
Despite the start-up costs, the later approach is arguably preferable as
it allows for more flexibility and customization of the scribes' duties to
fit the needs of the practice or department. Further research should be
directed towards understanding the costs of maintaining an existing,
mature 'homegrown' scribe program as compared to the costs of a contract
with an existing major scribe company. This would not only provide
direction for practices looking to bring on medical scribes, but also
inform their decision on whether to train their own scribes or outsource
the training to a major existing company.
References:
1. Walker KJ, Dunlop W, Liew D, et al. An economic evaluation of the costs
of training a medical scribe to work in Emergency Medicine. Emergency
Medicine Journal 2016; 0: 1-5
2. Lynch TS. An Emergency Department Scribe System. Journal of the
American College of Emergency Physicians 1974; 3: 302-3
3. Gellert GA, Ramirez R, Webster SL. The Rise of the Medical Scribe
Industry: Implications for the Advancement of Electronic Health Records.
JAMA 2015; 3: 1315-6
4. Schiff GD, Zucker L. Medical Scribes: Salvation for Primary Care or
Workaround for Poor EMR Usability? Journal of General Internal Medicine.
2016; 31: 979-81
5. Bastani A, Shaqiri B, Palomba K, et al. An ED scribe program is able to
improve throughput time and patient satisfaction. American Journal of
Emergency Medicine. 2014; 32: 399-402
We would like to comment of the use of waveform capnography (WC) as an adjunct to help determine adequate paralysis during rapid sequence induction (RSI). The article used recognition of apnoea by loss of WC as an early indicator of muscle paralysis and evidence was presented that this method improved first pass success rates and reduced time to intubation for RSI in an emergency setting.
Although apnoea can be a useful indicator for the presence of paralysis we would suggest that use of a peripheral nerve stimulator is a more accurate tool for determining when muscle relaxants have produced an adequate effect. The use of this simple and relatively inexpensive machine is standard practice for anaesthetists in determining the level of paralysis. It is also viewed as a standard for provision of anaesthesia outside of the operating theatre environment (Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland: Recommendations for standards of monitoring during anaesthesia and recovery, 2015, Page 8). We suggest from clinical experience that apnoea alone does not always reflect adequate muscle relaxation to allow for optimal intubating conditions. Reactive vocal cords may be present despite apparent correct dosing and timing of muscle relaxants. In addition, apnoea and loss of WC could possibly be a reflection of respiratory depression due to administration of the anaesthetic induction agent, opiods or a deteriorating clinical condition.
We recognise that some Em...
Show MoreSir,
Show MoreYou articulate and document the catalogue of evidence supporting the health impacts of climate change admirably in your editorial ‘Peering through the hourglass’ (Lemery, 2017), but the Emergency Medicine world is not as disconnected as you make out. The Red Cross Movement, known traditionally for its humanitarian action, has long had expert emergency medicine at the heart of its work on preparedness for crisis, including natural disasters such as those precipitated by climate change.
Our international First Aid and Resuscitation Guidelines (IFRC, 2016) are based soundly on science and support the interventions of lay responders and medical professionals across the globe. Our Global First Aid app is now used in 90 countries, bespoke to each one through careful translation and cultural relevance. The British Red Cross, American Red Cross and others have developed their own additional apps, specific to the disasters that might occur, such as flooding, hurricanes and tornadoes. These, too, are rooted in clinical science and educational methodology supporting the public to learn, be prepared and be resilient.
Beyond technology, our thousands of staff and volunteers across the world work closely with local authorities in their planning for natural disasters, ensuring systems are in place to cope with the practical realities, as well as the humanitarian care needed for those affected. This work inevitably draws attention to the humanitarian crises that...
Dear Sirs,
I congratulate the authors on their research. It is important to highlight that the Manchester triage system does incorporate shock or low blood pressure into its flow charts. It is described in the general discriminator text and flow chart. Any patients who are shocked should be triaged into priority one, if following the rules of MTS.
Therefore in this study all 9 of the 26 patients with a blood pressure of less than 90 mmHg should have been triaged into priority one, according to the rules of MTS. If these patients had been triaged in this way, the results of your study could be significantly affected.
We look forward to seeing further research from your selves in this area
Kind Regards
Laura
Dear Sir,
We read with interest the recent Best Evidence Topic (BET) report by L Varley and L Howard, ‘Trendelenburg position helps to cardiovert patients in SVT back to sinus rhythm.’[1] We are grateful that this BET highlighted the substantial benefit of using a postural modification to the Valsalva manoeuvre for re-entrant SVT[2]. However, whist we agree with the ‘Clinical Bottom Line’, we feel the title of this BET was misleading and does not reflect current evidence.
‘Trendelenburg position’ is typically used to describe a supine patient with the bed tilted head down below the level of the pelvis.[3] Although this position was associated with a higher rate of cardioversion in a small, uncontrolled before and after study[4], no physiological benefits of this position have been demonstrated[5] and it was not used in the REVERT trial, the largest RCT of VM modification to date.
For clarification, in our study the Valsalva strain was conducted in the semi-sitting position with movement to the supine position with leg elevation, immediately at the end of the strain. There are plausible physiological reasons why this specific sequence of postural changes and timing of strain may improve Valsalva effectiveness as described in our paper. Although it is possible that Trendelenburg positioning after straining might further improve cardioversion rates, this has not been tested to date.
Yours sincerely
On behalf of the REVERT study Team
...Show MoreSir,
Show MoreYou articulate and document the catalogue of evidence supporting the health impacts of climate change admirably in your editorial ‘Peering through the hourglass’ (Lemery, 2017), but the Emergency Medicine world is not as disconnected as you make out. The Red Cross Movement, known traditionally for its humanitarian action, has long had expert emergency medicine at the heart of its work on preparedness for crisis, including natural disasters such as those precipitated by climate change.
Our international First Aid and Resuscitation Guidelines (IFRC, 2016) are based soundly on science and support the interventions of lay responders and medical professionals across the globe. Our Global First Aid app is now used in 90 countries, bespoke to each one through careful translation and cultural relevance. The British Red Cross, American Red Cross and others have developed their own additional apps, specific to the disasters that might occur, such as flooding, hurricanes and tornadoes. These, too, are rooted in clinical science and educational methodology supporting the public to learn, be prepared and be resilient.
Beyond technology, our thousands of staff and volunteers across the world work closely with local authorities in their planning for natural disasters, ensuring systems are in place to cope with the practical realities, as well as the humanitarian care needed for those affected. This work inevitably draws attention to the humanitarian crises that...
It would be useful to know the Total number of traumatic cardiac arrests treated by the system during these three years. Hard to draw conclusions on effectiveness without this figure. Also note different results in the paper Chiang W-C et all on the next page of the journal. (Emerg Med J 2017; 34: 39-45).
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
Dear authors,
In your intersting RCT of propofol versus midazolam sedation, you describe giving a fentanyl dose of 3mcg/kg, in conjunction with a titrated dose of propofol or midazolam.
This appears a pretty large dose, compared to the procedural sedation literature, where the usual dose is 1 mcg/kg (min-max 0.5-2.0).[1-2]
From previous research with propofol and midazolam in the Emergency Depa...
We thank the authors Challen and Roland for their review (1) which highlights a very important issue faced daily in our Emergency Departments.
The use of, and more importantly, reliance on the Early Warning Score (EWS) carries risk as up to 1:3 patients admitted to ICU from ED will not score highly on the EWS (2). Clinician opinion may prove a superior assessment tool; this is not adequately explored. Experien...
Dr. Basu et al. make an interesting observation: if you kick the dog, eventually he will bite the mailman. How is it we think we can treat the workers without compassion or empathy while expecting them to treat the patients with these same virtues, ones we don't practice?
This article and an ever-expanding body of literature make it clear: we must treat our staff in the same way we expect them to treat patients....
Walker et al. report the first economic analysis of the cost of training medical scribes (1). The concept of the medical scribe has been around for at least 4 decades (2), but with the recent advent of the electronic medical record (EMR), especially in the US, there has been a rapid increase in the use of scribes, particularly in emergency departments (3). The ongoing exponential growth in the use of scribes has been re...
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