ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Public health emergencies, like the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, can cause unprecedented demand for critical care services. We describe statewide implementation of a critical care coordination center designed to optimize ICU utilization. To describe a centralized critical care coordination center designed to ensure appropriate intensive care resource allocation. DESIGN: A descriptive case series of consecutive critically ill adult patients. SETTING: ICUs, emergency departments, freestanding medical facilities in the state of Maryland and adjacent states, serving a population of over 6,045,000 across a land area of 9,776 sq mi (25,314 km2). PATIENTS: Adults requiring intensive care. INTERVENTIONS: Consultation with a critical care physician and emergency medical services clinician. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Number of consults, number of patient movements to higher levels of critical care, and number of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation referrals for both patients with and without coronavirus disease 2019. Over a 6-month period, critical care coordination center provided 1,006 critical care consultations and directed 578 patient transfers for 58 hospitals in the state of Maryland and adjoining region. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation referrals were requested for 58 patients. Four-hundred twenty-eight patients (42.5%) were managed with consultation only and did not require transfer. CONCLUSIONS: Critical care coordination center, staffed 24/7 by a critical care physician and emergency medical service clinician, may improve critical care resource use and patient flow. This serves as a model for a tiered regionalized system to ensure that the demand for critical care services may be met during a pandemic and beyond.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Limited research regarding administration of timed medication infusions in the prehospital environment has identified wide variability with accuracy, timing, and overall feasibility. This study was a quality improvement project that utilized a randomized, controlled, crossover study design to compare two different educational techniques for medication infusion administration. We hypothesized that the use of a metronome-based technique would decrease medication dosage errors and reduce time to administration for intravenous medication infusions. METHODS: Forty-two nationally registered paramedics were randomized to either a metronome-based technique versus a standard stopwatch-based technique. Each subject served as a control. Subjects were asked to establish an infusion of amiodarone at a dose of 150 mg administered over 10 min, simulating treatment of a hemodynamically stable patient with sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. Descriptive statistics and a repeated measures mixed linear regression model were used for data analysis. RESULTS: When compared to a standard stopwatch-based technique, a metronome-based technique was associated with faster time to goal (median 34 s [IQR, 22-54] vs 50 s; [IQR 38-61 s], P = 0.006) and fewer mid-infusion adjustments. Ease of use was reported to be significantly higher for the metronome group (median ranking 5, IQR 4-5) compared to the standard group (median ranking 2, IQR 2-3; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge regarding a metronome technique may help EMS clinicians provide safe and effective IV infusions. Such a technique may be beneficial for learners and educators alike.
