Prehospital Care

Day two of RCEM’s 2019 scientific conference ranged from frailty and palliative care to research, leadership and working patterns. The St Emlyn’s team reports on clinical learning alongside practical discussions about annualised rotas, supportive handovers and sustainable emergency medicine careers.

Cliff Reid demonstrates the Zero Point Survey in a video showing its use in prehospital and hospital settings. The post introduces the STEPUP framework as a structured approach to preparing for and beginning the care of critically ill patients.

Does a McGrath videolaryngoscope improve first-pass intubation compared with a Macintosh laryngoscope in prehospital care? This 2019 appraisal examines a randomised trial, including its early termination, crossover between devices and the limits of drawing a clear verdict from the results.

Ashley Liebig draws on her experience with helicopter emergency medical services to discuss psychological performance in resuscitation. This St Emlyn’s Live talk, available as video and audio, focuses on working under pressure when decisions are urgent and information is incomplete.

What can an animal study tell us about chest compressions in traumatic cardiac arrest? This 2019 appraisal examines a haemorrhage model in pigs, the role of blood resuscitation and the substantial limits of applying those findings to patients with different causes of arrest.

Why do some bleeding trauma patients die after surviving the initial resuscitation? This 2019 discussion of an editorial by Karim Brohi and John Holcomb examines changing patterns of mortality, possible mechanisms of later deaths and the need to consider the whole trauma system.