Studying Paramedics Working Environment in a Trauma Scene

Paramedics work in changing working environments, under varied constrains. The goal of this study is to evaluate the way paramedics arrange their equipment when they are working in a trauma scene. We analyzed video that was captured during seven training simulation sessions, counting equipment movements at the scene during patient treatment. We found that in 86% of the sessions paramedics changed their equipment positions during patient treatment. Our analysis also found that the monitor and the medication bag moved at the beginning of the sessions, while the air-way bag moved during the middle part of the session. This study demonstrates that paramedics are operating in a working environment that is not designed for the tasks they need to perform. This suboptimal setting results in paramedics’ need to change equipment positions while they are taking care of the patient. Future studies need to be done in order to develop recommendations for how to arrange the equipment around the patient in a way that would better fit the paramedics work around the patient.

A retained resectoscope beak: are we missing the point of surgical checklists?

We present an unusual case of a retained resectoscope beak detected 10 months following transurethral resection of a bladder tumour. We describe this rare complication after transurethral surgery and present a safe method for removing a resectoscope beak from the urethra. This case prompted several improvements in our local surgical checklists to prevent such an event from recurring. It is important to check the integrity of surgical equipment in addition to counting equipment in and out during theatre; without checking, as exemplified by the resectoscope in this case, we risk missing the point.

Applications of Chemiluminescence in Rubber Research

The oxidation of most organic materials is accompanied by the emission of weak light, so called chemiluminescence (CL). This emission has previously often been designated oxyluminescence. CL has been known for several years, but it is not until recently that the development of photon counting equipment has allowed detection of levels down to a few photons per second. This development makes CL a promising nondestructive and extremely sensitive technique to provide data which may be useful to estimate the service life of polymeric materials. Various applications of the CL-method for the detection of oxidation of elastomers are reported: such as, stabilization of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene; degradation of latex coating of paper; long-term thermo-oxidation of natural rubber; indication of ultrathin coating of cellulose fiber with polybutadiene.