Swiss guidelines for the prehospital phase in suspected acute stroke

Acute stroke treatment has advanced substantially over the last years. Important milestones constitute intravenous thrombolysis, endovascular therapy (EVT), and treatment of stroke patients in dedicated units (stroke units). At present in Switzerland there are 13 certified stroke units and 10 certified EVT-capable stroke centers. Emerging challenges for the prehospital pathways are that (i) acute stroke treatment remains very time sensitive, (ii) the time window for acute stroke treatment has opened up to 24 h in selected cases, and (iii) EVT is only available in stroke centers. The goal of the current guideline is to standardize the prehospital phase of patients with acute stroke for them to receive the optimal treatment without unnecessary delays. Different prehospital models exist. For patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO), the Drip and Ship model is the most commonly used in Switzerland. This model is challenged by the Mothership model where stroke patients with suspected LVO are directly transferred to the stroke center. This latter model is only effective if there is an accurate triage by paramedics, hence the patient may benefit from the right treatment in the right place, without loss of time. Although the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale is a well-established scale to detect acute stroke in the prehospital setting, it neglects nonmotor symptoms like visual impairment or severe vertigo. Therefore we suggest “acute occurrence of a focal neurological deficit” as the trigger to enter the acute stroke pathway. For the triage whether a patient has a LVO (yes/no), there are a number of scores published. Accuracy of these scores is borderline. Nevertheless, applying the Rapid Arterial Occlusion Evaluation score or a comparable score to recognize patients with LVO may help to speed up and triage prehospital pathways. Ultimately, the decision of which model to use in which stroke network will depend on local (e.g. geographical) characteristics.

Possibilities of Pre-Hospital Intervention in the Prevention and Treatment of Covid-19 Recommendations of the Hungarian Integrative Medicine Association

Over the Covid-19 pandemic, the whole world withdraws in the interest of the isolation and eradication of the disease. Governments over the world have ordered the narrowing of mobility, the usage of self-protective equipments, and invest tremendous efforts in finding the tools of treatment and vaccination. However, nobody mentions therapeutic options applicable in the prehospital phase regarding those prestigious methods with great traditions such as the integrative and complementary medicines. Therefore, according to observations of the elements of the disease process, we divided and categorized the practices which individuals can simply and easily exercise in their homes, acting upon verificationally effective advices that approve to enhance immunity along with the reduction of viral effects. We based our examinations on the methods and tools of Ayurveda, apitherapy, phytotherapy, homeopathy, and oxygen therapy. Our suggestions do not explain treatments of intensive care under hospitalization.

QUALITY REVIEW FOR DIAGNOSTICS OF ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME AT ITS PREHOSPITAL PHASE

The clinical and statistical quality analysis for diagnostics of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) at its prehospital phase performed by the accident-assistant squads (AAS) of Krasnodar was carried out. The material of the study was the data base of the integrated automated control system of the emergency medical setting of Krasnodar. The outcome of ACS by far depends upon the well-timed qualitative diagnostics which includes the opinion poll, physical data, ECG‑registration and well-timed admission to the special hospital.

Emergency care for children in the prehospital phase

The training manual provides definitions of the main emergency conditions in children, the criteria for clinical diagnosis and the sequence of actions of a pediatrician to provide emergency care at the prehospital stage and to decide on the further place of treatment.

Is Prehospital Time Important for the Treatment of Severely Injured Patients? A Matched-Triplet Analysis of 13,851 Patients from the TraumaRegister DGU®

Background. The impact of time (the golden period of trauma) on the outcome of severely injured patients has been well known for a long time. While the duration of the prehospital phase has changed only slightly (average time: ~66 min) since the TraumaRegister DGU® (TR-DGU®) was implemented, mortality rates have decreased within the last 20 years. This study analyzed the influence of prehospital time on the outcome of trauma patients in a matched-triplet analysis. Material and Methods. A total of 93,024 patients from the TraumaRegister DGU® were selected based on the following inclusion criteria: ISS ≥ 16, primary admission, age ≥ 16 years, and data were available for the following variables: prehospital intubation, blood pressure, mode of transportation, and age. The patients were assigned to one of three groups: group 1: 10-50 min (short emergency treatment time); group 2: 51-75 min (intermediate emergency treatment time); group 3: >75 min (long emergency treatment time). A matched-triplet analysis was conducted; matching was based on the following criteria: intubation at the accident site, rescue resources, Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) of the body regions, systolic blood pressure, year of the accident, and age. Results. A total of 4,617 patients per group could be matched. The number of patients with a GCS score ≤8 was significantly higher in the first group (group 1: 36.6%, group 2: 33.5%, group 3: 30.3%; p < 0.001). Moreover, the number of patients who had to be resuscitated during the prehospital phase and/or upon arrival at the hospital was higher in group 1 (p = 0.010); these patients also had a significantly higher mortality (group 1: 20.4%, group 2: 18.1%, group 3: 15.9%; p ≤ 0.001). The number of measures performed during the prehospital phase (e.g., chest tube insertion) increased with treatment time. Conclusions. The results suggest that survival after severe trauma is not only a matter of short rescue time but more a matter of well-used rescue time including performance of vital measures already in the prehospital setting. This also includes that rescue teams identify the severity of injuries more rapidly in the most-severely injured patients in critical condition than in less-severely injured patients and plan their interventions accordingly.

Difficulties of diagnostics of acute myocardial infarction in elderly and senile patients and their influence on management in the acute period of disease

Aim. To study the features of disease progress and approaches to the diagnostics of acute myocardial infarction (MI) among elderly and senile patients and their influence on the management in the acute period of disease.Materials and methods. The study was performed using the WHO program “Register of acute myocardial infarction” (Tomsk). The study included 410 patients (60 years and older), who had acute MI. The study group is represented by a comparable number of men (n=212) and women (n=198). The mean age of patients was 71 (66; 77) years (women are 5 years older than men (p<0,001)). Statistical processing was performed using the program Statistica V10.0.Results. Most of the patients had history comorbid pathology. In one in five patients (17,8%), the disease had an atypical manifestations, which in 41% of cases was represented by the asymptomatic form. Atypical manifestation of MI lengthened the prehospital phase of medical care due to a longer time before the first medical contact (p=0,005), as well as a late help-seeking (120 [49; 311,5] minutes). In 28% of patients, the level of creatine kinase-MB remained normal, and the indicator of troponin I exceeded the maximum values only in half of the cases. One fifth of the patients underwent acute MI treatment in non-core hospitals, which resulted in a low frequency of intervention (38%) and increasing by 2 times the chance of death within 5 years. The level of hospital mortality from acute MI in elderly patients in noncore hospitals was 3 times higher than in specialized departments (p<0,001).Conclusion. Difficulties in diagnostics of MI in patients of older age groups is caused by the prevalence of comorbid pathology, an atypical manifestations of the disease and low information content of biochemical markers of myocardial necrosis. It leads to an increase in time delays at the prehospital phase and frequent hospitalization of patients in non-core hospitals, making it impossible for them to receive timely, preferred therapy.

URGENT ANTICONVULSANT THERAPY FOR CHILDREN ON PREHOSPITAL PHASE

The article describes possible anticonvulsant therapy methodologies for children with respect to medication available for emergency medical care teams and used according to current clinical guidelines.