Major Trauma

What can a specialist prehospital service teach us about a rare emergency airway procedure? This review of London Air Ambulance's 20-year cricothyroidotomy experience separates procedural success from patient survival and considers the implications for training, preparation and interpreting retrospective data.

Does prehospital tranexamic acid improve neurological recovery after moderate or severe head injury? This September 2020 trial appraisal examines the absence of a clear primary-outcome benefit, missing follow-up data, injury severity and how the findings compare with CRASH-3.

A review of the CRASH-3 trial and whether tranexamic acid (TXA) is of benefit in traumatic brain injury patients.

The St Emlyn’s team reports from the opening day of RCEM’s 2019 scientific conference in Gateshead. Highlights include listening to parents’ concerns, paediatric ultrasound, concussion, early warning scores and the importance of sharing emergency medicine knowledge across countries.

Professor Jason Smith joins the St Emlyn’s podcast to discuss traumatic cardiac arrest and the research behind closed chest compressions. The conversation considers different causes of arrest, uncertainty in the evidence and the importance of preparing resuscitation teams for these cases.

The March 2019 podcast round-up looks back across the St Emlyn’s blog. Its linked reading ranges from adult congenital heart disease and selected trauma papers to responsible overseas volunteering, the interpretation of p-values and reports from the SMACC conference.