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Nutrients Apr 2023We thank Dr. Gurney for his interest and comment [...]. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
We thank Dr. Gurney for his interest and comment [...].
Topics: Plant Extracts; Paullinia; Stretchers; Cognition
PubMed: 37111221
DOI: 10.3390/nu15082001 -
The Journal of Hospital Infection Apr 2022Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are infections that patients acquire while receiving medical treatment in a healthcare facility. During ambulatory transport, the... (Review)
Review
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are infections that patients acquire while receiving medical treatment in a healthcare facility. During ambulatory transport, the patient may be exposed to pathogens transmitted from emergency medical service (EMS) personnel or EMS surfaces.The aim of this study was to determine whether organisms commonly associated with HAIs have been detected on surfaces in the patient-care compartment of ambulances. Five electronic databases - PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase and Google Scholar were used to search for articles using inclusion and exclusion criteria following the PRISMA checklist. Inclusion criteria consisted of articles published in English, between 2009 and 2020, had positive samples collected from the patient-care compartment of a ground ambulance, and reported sample collection methods of either swab sampling and/or Replicate Organism Detection and Counting (RODAC) contact plates. Studies not meeting these criteria were excluded from this review. From a total of 1376 articles identified, 16 were included in the review. Organisms associated with HAIs were commonly detected in the patient-care compartment of ambulances across a variety of different surfaces, including blood pressure cuffs, oxygen apparatuses, and areas of patient stretchers. A high prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in ambulances suggests that standard protocols related to cleaning compliance may not be effective. The primary recommendation is that designated subject matter experts in infection prevention should be incorporated as liaisons in the pre-hospital setting, acting as a link between the pre-hospital (e.g., ambulance transport) and hospital environments.
Topics: Ambulances; Bacteria; Cross Infection; Emergency Medical Services; Humans
PubMed: 35031392
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2021.12.020 -
Scandinavian Journal of Trauma,... Aug 2019Traumatic spinal cord injury is a relatively rare injury in Denmark but may result in serious neurological consequences. For decades, prehospital spinal stabilisation...
Traumatic spinal cord injury is a relatively rare injury in Denmark but may result in serious neurological consequences. For decades, prehospital spinal stabilisation with a rigid cervical collar and a hard backboard has been considered to be the most appropriate procedure to prevent secondary spinal cord injuries during patient transportation. However, the procedure has been questioned in recent years, due to the lack of high-quality studies supporting its efficacy. A national interdisciplinary task force was therefore established to provide updated clinical guidelines on prehospital procedures for spinal stabilisation of adult trauma patients in Denmark. The guidelines are based on a systematic review of the literature and grading of the evidence, in addition to a standardised consensus process.This process yielded five main recommendations:A strong recommendation against spinal stabilisation of patients with isolated penetrating trauma; a weak recommendation against the prehospital use of a rigid cervical collar and a hard backboard for ABCDE-stable patients; and a weak recommendation for the use of a vacuum mattress for patient transportation. Finally, our group recommends the use of our clinical algorithm to ensure good clinical practice.
Topics: Adult; Algorithms; Denmark; Evidence-Based Emergency Medicine; Humans; Immobilization; Moving and Lifting Patients; Orthotic Devices; Spinal Cord Injuries; Stretchers; Triage; Wounds, Penetrating
PubMed: 31426850
DOI: 10.1186/s13049-019-0655-x