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INTRODUCTION: State Fire Service (SFS) officers are increasingly frequently carrying out medical rescue activities (MRA), especially in the scope of qualified first aid (QFA), providing assistance to people harmed in fires and other local threats. Due to the accepted medical procedures, possessed medical equipment and a high number of officers with medical background, SFS units are the second service, right after NEMS, in terms of the volume of provided medical support in different events, particularly fires (F) and local threats (LT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The paper used the statistical data regarding performance of QFA tasks by SFS officers from the Decision-Making Support System of the State Fire Service (DMSSFS), made available by the Operations Planning Office (OPO) in the Headquarters of the State Fire Service (HSFS). The analyzed material covered the period of 2010 -- 2021 and the area of the capital city of Warsaw. Using the method of choropleth maps to present the administrative units of the city, the most overloaded places in terms of emergency activities were presented where QFA intervention was required. RESULTS: The number of events recorded by SFS in Warsaw in the analyzed period was 150,209 (without false alarms -- FA), during which QFA activities were performed 9,911 times. The average percentage number of such activities in relation to all events (fires and local threats) was 6.60% and a slow, yet systematic, growth of such events in consecutive years. The highest magnitude of QFA activities -- and so the very high level (>201 points) was seen in the district of Śródmieście and the high level(121-200 points)in the following districts: Mokotów, Wola, PragaPółnoc, PragaPołudnie, Targówek. In particular, considering individual estates, these were: ŚródmieściePołudniowe (293), StaryMokotów (150), Mirów (139), Brudno (122), Zacisze (179), Grochów (155) and SaskaKępa (145). CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of the usefulness of mapping medical interventionsand the analyzed spatial data Confirm that the KDE method is characterized by a more precise fitting of the fragments of the MIS estates to the scale of magnitude of the investigated event -- QFA activities performed by SFS firefighters. Therefore, using the analytical techniques of GIS is a good tool for planning and interventional support for the SFS activities and it additionally shows phenomena not visible when the data are presented in a table. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: The rescue services which take interventions in the scene of accidents include the Fire Service officers. The tasks of the Fire Service carried out to serve the society include the cooperation with units of the Emergency Medical Services and performance of medical operations. The spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic led to many changes in daily public and private life, in the functioning of institutions, public offices, the healthcare system and the uniformed services. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included a retrospective analysis of departures of Polish fire-fighting units (FFU) for isolated events of medical emergency (IEMEs) in a two-year period: from March 2019 to the end of February 2021 (one year before the pandemic and one year during the pandemic in Poland). The data come from the EWID event recording programme and the Decision-Making Support System of the State Fire Service. The quantitative data were prepared depending on the distribution of the variable: the mean and the standard deviation (if the distribution was normal) and the median and the interquartile range (if the distribution was not normal). RESULTS: The studied period included 5272 events meeting the criteria for inclusion in the analysis. An increase by over 56% was seen in IEMEs in the pandemic year compared to the previous year. The dynamics of the IEME increase are identical to the waves of the pandemic occurring in Poland. A statistically significant correlation (p<0.001, R=0.93) was demonstrated between the number of coronavirus infections and the number of IEMEs in the pandemic period. CONCLUSIONS: The studied period included 5272 events meeting the criteria for inclusion in the analysis. An increase by over 56% was seen in IEMEs in the pandemic year compared to the previous year. The dynamics of the IEME increase are identical to the waves of the pandemic occurring in Poland. A statistically significant correlation (p<0.001, R=0.93) was demonstrated between the number of coronavirus infections and the number of IEMEs in the pandemic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is one of the leading causes of death in developed countries, which is a leading public health problem. Saving endangered human life is a priority task for emergency services around the world. The aim of study was to analysis of OHCA cases for which the Fire Rescue Units (FRU) teams were ordered in situations that meet the criteria of the isolated emergency medical incidents (IEMI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included a retrospective analysis of calls by Polish FRU to local medical threats over a period of 5 years. The data come from the Decision Support System for Fire Service. Quantitative data were described using classical measures: arithmetic means (M), standard deviations (SD), median (Me) and interquartile ranges (IQR). RESULTS: The total number of OHCA cases included was 94. The mean time between receipt of the IEMI call and arrival on scene was 6 minutes and 22 seconds (IQR = 4). ROSC occurred in 21 patients, which is 22.34% of all cases. An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) was used in 64 cases (68.09%). The analyzed victims were mostly men (76.59%). The mean age of the victims was 63.06 years (Me = 62 years). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the research are in line with global trends and show the role of early cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Sending FRU to OHCA in the case of non-availability of the EMT in the initial phase of the intervention is justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of premature death. The most common cause of SCA is ventricular fibrillation and many lives can be saved with early defibrillation. An automatic external defibrillator (AED) is a device that analyses the cardiac rhythm and generates an electric shock. Thus far, the public access defibrillation program (PAD) has not been implemented in Warsaw. Aim. To investigate the accessibility of automatic defibrillators in the capital city of Warsaw with particular regard to the number and spatial distribution of the AED devices. Material and methods. AED devices have been identified, visualized and localized using QGIS geographic information systems. The locations were confirmed via visual inspection, telephone and/or email with the use of electronic questionnaire. Data obtained in this study helped to establish an AED database, which contains the geographic coordinates of the attributes. Results. In Warsaw, 582 AED devices are deployed in 463 locations. Distribution of defibrillators is uneven, with the largest number of AEDs in the Mokotów (n = 98) and Śródmieście districts (n = 84), and the smallest in Wesoła (n = 3) and Rembertów (n = 3). The critical radius (Rcr) from a hypothetical cardiac arrest site to the nearest AED was calculated to be ~333 m. It follows that in order to fully cover the Warsaw spatial grid with AED devices, public space should contain approximately 1551 devices (3.0/km²). Conclusions. In Warsaw, the number of AEDs is insufficient and their spatial distribution is greatly uneven. While planning the deployment of AEDs one should take into account not only the critical radius Rcr, but also other criteria of optimal location, including the number of inhabitants within a given area, strategic places on the basis of population density, and incidence rate of sudden cardiac arrest. Our data show that there is an urgent need to develop and implement PAD programs in Warsaw and other large metropolitan areas in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The objective was to retrospectively analyze the benefits of cochlear implantation in deafened elderly (>65 years old). Method: Data from 30 elderly patients with a unilateral cochlear implant were included and analyzed. Audiometric threshold and speech data in aided and unaided conditions were examined at pre- and postimplant intervals at 3, 6, and 12 months after activation of the sound processor and compared. Results: All patients demonstrated hearing benefits after implant and over time with results ranging from very good, good, to limited performance in a few cases. The mean postimplantation follow-up time was 2.74 years (minimum 1 year). Our study cohort demonstrates that cochlear implantation is a successful treatment method for improving speech perception in the auditory alone or auditory-visual mode for the majority of elderly patients. No correlations were observed between postimplant outcomes and age, or preimplant hearing thresholds and speech audiometry. Conclusion: Age is not a determining or limiting factor for post-CI outcome performance in deafened elderly patients. Counselling should consider the patient as a whole and include explanation of the risk for a minority of elderly patients who may demonstrate poor outcomes after implant, despite presenting as good candidates before implantation. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate acoustically evoked cervical and ocular vestibular miogenic potentials (AC cVEMP and oVEMP) findings in patients diagnosed with Susac's syndrome (SS). Material and methods: Two patients with SS were tested. The stimuli (500 Hz frequency tone bursts) were presented unilaterally one ear at a time. 'The resulting VEMP waveforms were analyzed for the response presence, latency and amplitude in the time domain. Results: Patient#1, responses on both sides showed latencies within normal limits for both c- and oVEMP; small amplitudes for cVEMP. Patient#2, only cVEMPs were present; latencies within normative values, amplitudes low and asymmetric between sides. Conclusions: The combined application of AC cVEMP and oVEMP may provide additional and useful information about affected vestibular system and be of help in treatment and rehabilitation planning in patients with Susacs syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]