Tuttle, MHS, et al.

Many factors contribute to the survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Consequently, we sought to develop a model describing the likelihood of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) as a function of paramedic cumulative OHCA experience.

Stacy N. Weisberg, MD, MPH, et al.

Air-medical critical care providers are frequently called upon to provide advanced airway management to our critically ill patients. The majority of these cases involve the transport of patients who have been intubated with standard endotracheal tubes (ETT).

Robert J. Steeps, MHS, RN, NRP, et al.

The number of community paramedic (CP) programs has expanded to mitigate the impact of increased patient usage on emergency services. However, it has not been determined to what extent emergency medical services (EMS) professionals would be willing to participate in this model of care. With this project, we sought to evaluate the perceptions of EMS professionals toward the concept of a CP program.

Joseph Tennyson, MD et al.

Endotracheal intubation is a common intervention in critical care patients undergoing helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) transportation. Measurement of endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff pressures is not common practice in patients referred to our service. Animal studies have demonstrated an association between the pressure of the ETT cuff on the tracheal mucosa and decreased blood flow leading to mucosal ischemia and scarring. Cuff pressures greater than 30 cmH2O impede mucosal capillary blood flow.

A Comparison of Chest Compression Quality Delivered During On-Scene and Ground Transport Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Christopher S. Russi, DO et al.

The 2010 American Heart Association (AHA)/International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Guidelines call for a minimum chest compression rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute and a minimum chest compression depth of 1.5 to 2 inches (3.75–5 cm).1 Two clinical studies have reported the quality of chest compressions delivered before emergency medical services (EMS) transport and the quality of those delivered during transport.2,3 Further evidence has suggested that visual, automated CPR feedback improves CPR quality.

Determinants of Success and Failure in Prehospital Endotracheal Intubation
Lucas A. Myers, BAH et al.

Endotracheal intubation (ETI) performance by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel remains a heavily examined and debated issue for medical directors and prehospital care providers. Research on success rates in adults has demonstrated ranges from 77.2% to 98.5%.1-4 Unfortunately, opportunities for clinical intubation are infrequent.5 EMS educational programs have highlighted the need for greater frequency of ETI performance through clinical opportunities such as the operating suite.6 Given the relatively few opportunities for practicing the procedure in some EMS systems, detailed patient selection and guideline criteria aimed at limiting difficult intubation attempts may increase the relative proportion of success.

Prehospital Lactate Measurement by Emergency Medical Services in Patients Meeting Sepsis Criteria
Lori L. Boland, MPH et al.

We aimed to pilot test the delivery of sepsis education to emergency medical services (EMS) providers and the feasibility of equipping them with temporal artery thermometers (TATs) and handheld lactate meters to aid in the prehospital recognition of sepsis.

Geospatial Analysis of Pediatric EMS Run Density and Endotracheal Intubation
Matthew Hansen, MD, MCR et al.

The association between geographic factors, including transport distance, and pediatric emergency medical services (EMS) run clustering on out-of-hospital pediatric endotracheal intubation is unclear. The objective of this study was to determine if endotracheal intubation procedures are more likely to occur at greater distances from the hospital and near clusters of pediatric calls.

Volume 17, Issue 4, July 2016
Michael M. Neeki, DO, MS, et al.

Mobilization of trauma resources has the potential to cause ripple effects throughout hospital operations. One major factor affecting efficient utilization of trauma resources is a discrepancy between the prehospital estimated time of arrival (ETA) as communicated by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel and their actual time of arrival (TOA). The current study aimed to assess the accuracy of the perceived prehospital estimated arrival time by EMS personnel in comparison to their actual arrival time at a Level II trauma center in San Bernardino County, California.