Defining the Core Content for Transport Physician Training Programs.

In many parts of the world, emergency medical services (EMS) clinical care is traditionally delivered by different levels or types of EMS clinicians, such as emergency medical technicians and paramedics. In some areas, physicians are also included among the cadre of professionals administering EMS-based care. This is especially true in the interfacility transport (IFT) setting. Though there is significant overlap between the knowledge and skills necessary to safely and effectively provide care in the IFT and prehospital settings, the IFT care environment requires physicians to develop several additional competencies beyond those that are expected of traditional EMS clinicians. NAEMSP first published recommendations regarding what some of these competencies should be in 1983 and subsequently updated those recommendations in 2002. This document is an updated work, given the evolution of the field.

Direct Versus Video Laryngoscopy for Prehospital Intubation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The use of video laryngoscopy (VL) for intubation has gained recent popularity. In the prehospital setting, it is unclear if VL increases intubation success rates compared to direct laryngoscopy (DL). We sought to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing VL to DL in the prehospital setting to determine whether the use of VL increases overall and first-pass endotracheal intubation success rates compared to DL. METHODS: A systematic search was performed of the PubMed, Embase, and SCOPUS databases through May 2016 to include studies comparing overall and first-pass success for VL versus DL in patients requiring intubation in the prehospital setting. Data were abstracted by two reviewers. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Of a potential 472 articles, eight eligible studies were included. Considerable heterogeneity (I2  > 90%) precluded reporting an overall pooled estimate across all studies. When stratified by provider type, the pooled estimates for overall intubation success using VL versus DL were a risk ratio (RR) of 0.05 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01-0.18) in studies of physicians and RR = 2.28 (95% CI = 1.00-5.20) in nonphysicians. For first-pass intubation success the pooled RR estimates for using VL versus DL were 0.32 (95% CI = 0.23-0.44) and 1.83 (95% CI = 1.18-2.84) among studies using physicians and nonphysicians, respectively. There was moderate to significant heterogeneity between studies when stratified by provider. CONCLUSIONS: Among physician intubators with significant DL experience, VL does not increase overall or first-pass success rates and may lead to worsening performance. However, among nonphysician intubators with less experience with DL, VL may provide benefit in the prehospital setting.

Chest Pain of Suspected Cardiac Origin: Current Evidence-based Recommendations for Prehospital Care.

INTRODUCTION: In the United States, emergency medical services (EMS) protocols vary widely across jurisdictions. We sought to develop evidence-based recommendations for the prehospital evaluation and treatment of chest pain of suspected cardiac origin and to compare these recommendations against the current protocols used by the 33 EMS agencies in the state of California. METHODS: We performed a literature review of the current evidence in the prehospital treatment of chest pain and augmented this review with guidelines from various national and international societies to create our evidence-based recommendations. We then compared the chest pain protocols of each of the 33 EMS agencies for consistency with these recommendations. The specific protocol components that we analyzed were use of supplemental oxygen, aspirin, nitrates, opiates, 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) regionalization systems, prehospital fibrinolysis and ß-blockers. RESULTS: The protocols varied widely in terms of medication and dosing choices, as well as listed contraindications to treatments. Every agency uses oxygen with 54% recommending titrated dosing. All agencies use aspirin (64% recommending 325 mg, 24% recommending 162 mg and 15% recommending either), as well as nitroglycerin and opiates (58% choosing morphine). Prehospital 12-Lead ECGs are used in 97% of agencies, and all but one agency has some form of regionalized care for their STEMI patients. No agency is currently employing prehospital fibrinolysis or ß-blocker use. CONCLUSION: Protocols for chest pain of suspected cardiac origin vary widely across California. The evidence-based recommendations that we present for the prehospital diagnosis and treatment of this condition may be useful for EMS medical directors tasked with creating and revising these protocols.