Search

Objective The American College of Surgeons (ACS) encourages clinicians to provide training to laypeople on tourniquet application. It is unclear whether clinicians are confident in their abilities and equipped with adequate knowledge, skills, and resources. This study aimed to determine surgical trainee knowledge and attitudes regarding tourniquet application and compare the effectiveness of instructions. Methods Thirty surgical trainees performed a tourniquet application simulation using a Combat Application Tourniquet and one of the three instructions sets developed by ACS, Department of Homeland Security, and the tourniquet manufacturer. Participants reported tourniquet knowledge, attitudes, and confidence and discussed the instructions. One instruction set was updated and compared to the original set with 20 new trainees. Results Participants with ACS instructions passed the greatest number of steps (p < 0.01) and completed the task significantly faster compared to those with manufacturer instructions (p < 0.01). Participants (80%) reported favorable views toward tourniquets but 30–60% did not align with to ACS tourniquet guidelines. Focus group participants suggested revisions to the ACS instructions. Comparing the original and revised version of these instructions resulted in no significant improvements. Conclusions ACS instructions provide guidance; however, improvements to tourniquet instruction are needed for success in controlling exsanguinating hemorrhage.

BackgroundCurrent military recommendations include the use of tourniquets (TQ) in appropriate pediatric trauma patients. Although the utility of TQs has been well documented in adult patients, the efficacy of TQ application in pediatric patients is less clear. The current study attempted to identify physical constraints for TQ use in two simulated pediatric limb models.MethodsFive different TQ (Combat Application Tourniquet (CAT) Generation 6 and Generation 7, SOFTT (SOF Tactical Tourniquet), SOFTT-W (SOF Tactical Tourniquet – Wide), SWAT-T (Stretch Wrap and Tuck – Tourniquet) and a trauma dressing were evaluated in two simulated pediatric limb models. Model one employed four cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) manikins simulating infant (Simulaids SaniBaby), 1 year (Gaumard HAL S3004), and 5 years (Laerdal Resusci Junior, Gaumard HAL S3005). Model two utilized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) piping with circumferences ranging from 4.25” to 16.5”. Specific end-points included tightness of the TQ and ability to secure the windlass (where applicable).ResultsIn both models, the ability to successfully apply and secure the TQ depended upon the simulated limb circumference. In the 1-year-old CPR manikin, all windlass TQs failed to tighten on the upper extremity, while all TQs successfully tightened at the high leg and mid-thigh. With the exception of the CAT7 and the SOFTT-W at the mid-thigh, no windlass TQ was successfully tightened at any extremity location on the infant. The SWAT-T was successfully tightened over all sites of all CPR manikins except the infant. No windlass TQ was able to tighten on PVC pipe 5.75” circumference or smaller (age < 24 months upper extremity). All windlass TQs were tightened and secured on the 13.25” and 15.5” circumference PVC pipes (age 7–12 years lower extremity, age >13 years upper extremity). The SWAT-T was tightened on all PVC pipes.DiscussionThe current study suggests that commercial windlass TQs can be applied to upper and lower extremities of children aged 5 years and older at the 50%th percentile for limb circumference. In younger children, windlass TQ efficacy is variable. Further study is required to better understand the limitations of TQs in the youngest children, and to determine actual hemorrhage control efficacy.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) encourage the use of tourniquets as part of the “Stop the Bleed” campaign. Both have provided instructions for layperson tourniquet application in order to save the life of a hemorrhaging trauma victim. This study sought to compare the impact of using ACS and DHS instructions with manufacturer-provided instructions for the completion of simulated tourniquet application steps. Thirty surgical trainees completed a simulated tourniquet application with one of the three instruction sets. Their completion time and success for each step were measured. Participants that received ACS instructions failed the fewest number of steps (p < 0.01) and completed the task faster (Mean (SD) = 70 (33) seconds) compared to those with the manufacturer-provided instructions (p < 0.01). Tourniquet instruction sets need to be refined in order to optimize the success rate of just-in-time guidance for tourniquet application.

Increased interest among leaders and practitioners in the field of emergency preparedness in the concept of whole community resilience can create new ways reaching the community. This paper explores one approach to community-engaged preparedness education. By drawing on the fields of emergency management and simulation–based instructional design, we describe an approach to preparedness events with broad community participation. We describe the education methodology used to plan the event and the core concepts related to simulation-based education. We offer key principles for event planners to engage a diverse group of participants ranging from youth, pre-professional healthcare students, practicing healthcare professionals, and staff from local community organizations. Our experience through seven years of events offers a proof of concept available to local communities; community organizational leaders concerned with the resilience for their own organizations; and academic organizations preparing our citizens to deal with the challenges of living and serving in a world of increasing risk of disaster.

Many incoming medical and undergraduate students seek out international medical mission trips to supplement their education and training. However, few have the necessary skills to perform simple clinical tasks such as taking vital signs or conducting an initial patient interview. We conducted a small pilot study to assess the impact of simulation exercises on teaching incoming first-year medical students and undergraduate students basic clinical skills and teamwork. Our study population consisted of nine incoming medical students and 11 undergraduate students who participated in a training session involving simulated tasks prior to taking a medical mission trip to Nicaragua. Participants completed a survey before and after the simulation and at the end of the trip. All 20 indicated the simulation was effective in teaching clinical and team-building skills. In addition, the simulation exercise improved participants' confidence in their ability to perform certain clinical tasks and work as a team prior to the mission trip. We concluded that simulation is effective for incoming medical and undergraduate students and can be used prior to global health trips to increase their confidence in performing tasks required for a successful experience.

The day begins at 7:00 AM with a layer of mosquito repellent and boiled coffee in a tin cup. Our medical clinic in the small village of Rancho Pedro along the Dominican Republic-Haiti border is a small hut composed of dilapidated wooden planks fastened together under a thatched reed roof. Patients with a variety of ailments line up daily outside the clinic door in anticipation of seeing a physician, often for the first time. Most patients have been waiting for hours, usually after enduring an overnight mountainous trek from a neighboring Haitian or Dominican village. Many of the medical problems encountered can be treated effectively with simple measures of wound debridement, bandages, analgesics, or antibiotics; however, some are more complex with no referral options. The work is intense but inspiring, rewarding but often frustrating as the limitations of our abilities quickly become apparent.

ObjectivesTo assess the accuracy of dual-energy CT (DECT) for diagnosing gout, and to explore whether it can have any impact on clinical decision making beyond the established diagnostic approach using polarising microscopy of synovial fluid (diagnostic yield).MethodsDiagnostic single-centre study of 40 patients with active gout, and 41 individuals with other types of joint disease. Sensitivity and specificity of DECT for diagnosing gout was calculated against a combined reference standard (polarising and electron microscopy of synovial fluid). To explore the diagnostic yield of DECT scanning, a third cohort was assembled consisting of patients with inflammatory arthritis and risk factors for gout who had negative synovial fluid polarising microscopy results. Among these patients, the proportion of subjects with DECT findings indicating a diagnosis of gout was assessed.ResultsThe sensitivity and specificity of DECT for diagnosing gout was 0.90 (95% CI 0.76 to 0.97) and 0.83 (95% CI 0.68 to 0.93), respectively. All false negative patients were observed among patients with acute, recent-onset gout. All false positive patients had advanced knee osteoarthritis. DECT in the diagnostic yield cohort revealed evidence of uric acid deposition in 14 out of 30 patients (46.7%).ConclusionsDECT provides good diagnostic accuracy for detection of monosodium urate (MSU) deposits in patients with gout. However, sensitivity is lower in patients with recent-onset disease. DECT has a significant impact on clinical decision making when gout is suspected, but polarising microscopy of synovial fluid fails to demonstrate the presence of MSU crystals.

SUMMARY (1) The normal menstrual cycle depends on hormonal relationships between the hypothalamus, pituitary, and ovary (Fig. 3). The mechanisms of hormonal control involve both long-looped feedback control (i.e., E2 feedback to the hypothalamus) and local control (i.e., internal ovary). A hormone may have different effects depending on concentration and timing of appearance during the menstrual cycle. (2) There is a single gonadotropin-releasing hormone that governs both FSH and LH release from the pituitary. FSH and LH release is governed by both the concentration and timing of the hypothalamic-releasing factor, GNRH. (3) The follicular or proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle is characterized by the selective development of a dominant follicle. The follicular phase biochemistry is notable for increasing estradiol production, which inhibits GNRH secretion but increases the gonadotropin pool and prepares the follicle for LH influence by stimulating LH receptors. (4) Ovulation occurs secondary to LH surge triggered by increasing levels of E2 acting in a positive feedback loop on the pituitary. (5) Corpus luteum development is signaled by increasing serum progesterone and is largely an autonomous ovarian phenomenon not subject to a great deal of control by hypothalamic or pituitary hormonal controls, because high levels of progesterone inhibit GNRH and gonadotropins. (6) Although not fully elucidated, many hormonal controls that were previously felt to be governed by the hypothalamus and gonadotropins have now been assigned to internal ovarian controls. Biochemical moieties such as the oocyte maturation inhibitor, luteinization inhibitor and stimulators, and the local effects of estrogen, and prostaglandins are now thought to play a major role in preparation of the follicle for ovulation, corpus luteum autonomy, and perseverance after fertilization of the corpus luteum. (7) Amenorrhea in female athletes must be evaluated as strictly as possible, and certain diagnoses should be excluded before assigning the etiology to exercise. Mechanisms for amenorrhea in athletes are not wholly understood but may revolve around the lack of pulsatile secretion of GNRH and gonadotropins.