ABSTRACT
PURPOSE OF STUDY: To determine the effects of ageing and training experience on attitude towards performing basic life support (BLS). METHODS: We gave a questionnaire to attendants of the courses for BLS or safe driving in authorised driving schools. The questionnaire included questions about participants' backgrounds. The questionnaire explored the participant's willingness to perform BLS in four hypothetical scenarios related to early emergency call, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) under their own initiative, telephone-assisted compression-only CPR and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), respectively. RESULTS: There were significant differences in gender, occupation, residential area, experience of BLS training, and knowledge of AED use among the young (17-29 y, N = 6122), middle-aged (30-59 y, N = 827) and elderly (>59 y, N = 15,743) groups. In all four scenarios, the proportion of respondents willing to perform BLS was lowest in the elderly group. More respondents in the elderly group were willing to follow the telephone-assisted instruction rather than performing CPR under their own initiative. Multiple logistic regression analysis confirmed ageing as an independent factor related to negative attitude in all scenarios. Gender, occupation, resident area, experience with BLS training and knowledge about AED use were other independent factors. Prior BLS training did not increase willingness to make an emergency call. CONCLUSION: The aged population has a more negative attitude towards performing BLS. BLS training should be modified to help the elderly gain confidence with the essential elements of BLS, including making early emergency calls.
Subject(s)
Aging/psychology , Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/education , Heart Arrest/therapy , Helping Behavior , Life Support Care , Teaching , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/methods , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
The present study was conducted to compare the diagnostic accuracy between carbon-11 choline (11C-choline) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and conventional imaging for the staging of bone and soft tissue sarcomas. Sixteen patients who underwent 11C-choline PET/CT prior to treatment were evaluated retrospectively for staging accuracy. Conventional imaging methods consisted of 99,mTc-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate bone scintigraphy, chest CT and magnetic resonance imaging of the primary site. The images were reviewed and a consensus was reached by two board-certified radiologists who were unaware of any clinical or radiological information using hard-copy films and multimodality computer platform. Tumor stage was confirmed by histological examination and/or by an obvious progression in number and/or size of the lesions on follow-up examinations. Reviewers examining both 11C-choline PET/CT and conventional imaging classified T stage in all patients. Interpretation based on 11C-choline PET/CT, the Node (N) stage was correctly diagnosed in all patients, whereas the accuracy of conventional imaging in N stage was 63%. Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stage was assessed correctly with 11C-choline PET/CT in 15 of 16 patients (94%) and with conventional imaging in eight of 16 patients (50%). The overall TNM staging and N staging accuracy of 11C-choline PET/CT were significantly higher than that of conventional imaging (P < 0.05). 11C-choline PET/CT is more accurate than conventional imaging regarding clinical staging of patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas. A whole body 11C-choline PET/CT might be acceptable for imaging studies of tumor staging prior to treatment.
