Early defibrillation by EMTs: the Brussels experience
| Autor: | Pierre Mols, D. Verset, J.P. Flamand, L. De Myttenaere, E. Beaucarne, Nicole Naeije, J. Bruyninx, G. Watteeuw, J.P. Labruyere |
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| Rok vydání: | 1994 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Emergency Medical Services Time Factors Defibrillation medicine.medical_treatment Ambulances Electric Countershock Emergency Nursing Ventricular tachycardia Belgium medicine Chain of survival Humans Asystole Survival rate Aged business.industry medicine.disease Heart Arrest Survival Rate Emergency Medical Technicians Ventricular fibrillation Ventricular Fibrillation Emergency Medicine Tachycardia Ventricular Feasibility Studies Medical team Female Medical emergency Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine business Early defibrillation |
| Zdroj: | Resuscitation. 27(2) |
| ISSN: | 0300-9572 |
| Popis: | Considering that in Brussels the first-aid ambulance team reaches the patient in cardiac arrest 10 min before the physician-manned ambulance, we instituted a feasibility study of early defibrillation by emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Three hundred EMTs received a 20-h automatic external defibrillation (AED) training course followed by a refresher course every 6 months. Of 316 cardiac arrests included in this study, asystole was encountered in 53% and ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia (VF/VT) in 33% of the cases on arrival of the EMTs. In the VFNT group, defibrillation was performed by EMTs with a Laerdal Heartstart 7–9 min before the medical team arrived. The overall cardiac arrest survival rate improved from 7% in 1989 to 19% in 1992. However, the long-term survival rate ( 14 105 ) of ventricular fibrillation remained low because of excessive delays in emergency medical service (EMS) access and in early ACLS. In conclusion, this work shows that in Brussels: (1) early defibrillation of cardiac arrest victims in VF is feasible by EMTs when a training and a follow-up program are implemented; (2) the weakest link of the chain of survival is the early EMS access, and the early ACLS; and (3) the AED program increases the interest and the efficacy of EMTs and medical teams in the management of cardiac arrests. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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