The Evaluation of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services With a Physician for Acute Myocardial Infarction in Japan: A Registry-Based Study of Prognosis and Time Reduction

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to compare the prognosis and time reduction between helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) with a physician and ground emergency medical services (GEMS) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) cases.

METHODS

This is a registry-based study of the Japan Helicopter Emergency Medical Service Registry from April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2018.

RESULTS

A total of 605 cases of AMI were registered in the HEMS group and 794 cases in the GEMS group. In the cases of non-cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA), the prognosis between HEMS and GEMS did not differ significantly. Regarding the road distance, for ranges of 20 to 40 km and > 40 km, the times from the call to the angiography room were significantly shorter with HEMS than GEMS (median 91 vs. 97 minutes, P = .036 and 101 vs. 132 minutes, P = .002, respectively). In cases of CPA, HEMS had a higher rate of return of spontaneous circulation than GEMS (55.3% vs. 36.8%, P = .038), but HEMS had a lower prognosis than GEMS (22.9% vs. 38.9%, P = .036).

CONCLUSION

The present study suggested that HEMS had an advantage in reducing the time to angiography in AMI cases of non-CPA. In cases of CPA, HEMS increased the return of spontaneous circulation without improving the prognosis.

Post-traumatic Unilateral Avulsion of the Abducens Nerve with Damage to Cranial Nerves VII and VIII: Case Report

Traumatic injuries of the abducens nerve as a consequence of facial and/or head trauma occur with or without associated cervical or skull base fracture. This is the first report on unilateral avulsion of the abducens nerve in a 29-year-old man with severe right facial trauma. In addition, he exhibited mild left facial palsy, and moderate left hearing disturbance. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) revealed avulsion of left sixth cranial nerve. We recommend thin-slice MR examination in patients with abducens palsy after severe facial and/or head trauma.

[Transorbital penetrating intracranial injury by a chopstick: a case report and review of the literature]

This 4-year-old girl fell while holding plastic chopsticks and a chopstick penetrated her left eye. The chopstick was removed immediately by herself. Conventional CT and MR images showed a penetration track from the orbital roof to the basal ganglia. On susceptibility-and diffusion-weighted images the track and surrounding cytotoxic edema were visualized more clearly. Although antibiotics were started at the time of admission to prevent intracranial infection, she developed meningitis. Subsequent treatment with carbapenem antibiotic-and vancomycin therapy was curative and she was discharged home 4 weeks after the injury. In our review of the literature on intracranial penetrating injuries via the orbita we compared the injury patterns inflicted by and the clinical observations reported on damage induced by wooden-, plastic-, and metal chopsticks. We also evaluated diagnostic CT and MR images in patients with intracranial penetrating injuries caused by chopsticks and documented the advantage of susceptibility-and diffusion-weighted imaging over conventional CT-and MR imaging.

Practical use of airway pressure release ventilation for severe ARDS--a preliminary report in comparison with a conventional ventilatory support

Airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) is a ventilatory mode that allows unsupported spontaneous breathing at any phase of the ventilatory cycle with high mean airway pressures. We hypothesized that use of APRV might produce potential beneficial effects on oxygenation, reducing mortality in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in comparison with synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) as a conventional mode of ventilation. We retrospectively reviewed data of 58 patients with severe ARDS (the ratios of partial arterial oxygen tension to fraction of inspired oxygen, PaO2/F(I)O2 ratio <150). The patients' data were divided into two groups: SIMV-group and APRV-group. Patients' backgrounds, oxygenation on day 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 following initiation of each mode, vasopressor dependence, duration of ventilation, duration of ICU stay, and mortality in ICU were analyzed. PaO2/F(I)O2 ratios were statistically higher in the APRV-group (APRV vs. SIMV on day 1, 3, 5, 7: 201.6 +/- 76 vs.150 +/- 59.1, 256.7 +/- 71.5 vs.182.1 +/- 65.4, 268.8 +/- 73.3 vs. 204.6 +/- 72.8, and 263 +/- 74.5 vs. 204.1 +/- 67.1, respectively, p<0.05). Vasopressors were less used (p=0.018), and mortality in ICU tended to be lower in the APRV group (31%) than in the SIMV group (59%) (p=0.050). Use of APRV in patients with severe ARDS appears to be associated with improvements in oxygenation, and a trend toward lower mortality in ICU. No significant adverse effects were observed. Prospective controlled studies are required to confirm the benefits of this ventilatory mode in comparison with conventional methods for severe ARDS.

Traumatic anterior communicating artery pseudoaneurysm with cavernous sinus fistula

A traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula and an intracranial pseudoaneurysm are uncommon but well-known complications of head trauma. A rare subtype of arteriovenous fistula may occur from a pseudoaneurysm of the anterior communicating artery (AcoA) instead of the internal carotid artery. We describe a patient with a traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the AcoA with a cavernous sinus fistula treated with endovascular treatment. A 68-year-old man presented with a severe head injury after a fall. Coronal view multiplanar reformatted images with contrast medium showed gradual expansion of the pseudoaneurysm of the AcoA and the enhanced area of the cavernous sinus. Five weeks after the injury, the patient had a subarachnoid hemorrhage. A cerebral angiogram showed a fistula between the pseudoaneurysm of the AcoA and the cavernous sinus. The AcoA, left anterior cerebral artery and part of the pseudoaneurysm were obliterated by coil embolization. A postoperative angiogram showed no flow through the pseudoaneurysm and the cavernous sinus fistula. A traumatic AcoA pseudoaneurysm with a cavernous sinus fistula may occur as an extremely rare complication of head injury.

Airway Scope for emergency intubations: usefulness of a new video-laryngoscope

The Airway Scope (AWS-S100, Pentax, Tokyo, Japan) is a new video-laryngoscope, which has a specially designed blade and a portable, battery-powered, 2.4-inch built-in liquid crystal device (LCD) full-color video screen at the top of the handle. In this study, we tested the usefulness of the AWS for tracheal intubation in acute, urgent situations. Patients admitted to the Advanced Emergency and Critical Care Center at Hiroshima University Hospital and who required orotracheal intubations were prospectively enrolled. Tracheal intubations were performed using the AWS by residents (the novice group) or staff physicians (the experienced group), who received a brief instruction in the AWS. We enrolled 38 patients (23 males, 15 females; age, 60 +/- 19 years). Intubations were attempted by 22 intubators (11 residents and 11 experienced personnel). The durations from inserting the blade via the oral cavity until observing the glottis (T1), inserting the tube into the trachea (T2), and confirming the chest rise (T3) were 22 +/- 15, 34 +/- 21 and 49 +/- 27 sec, respectively. When the results were classified into t experienced and novice groups, T1, T2 and T3 were 17 +/- 10 vs. 26 +/- 17, 32 +/- 23 vs. 36 +/- 20, and 45 +/- 25 vs. 53 +/- 27 sec, respectively (the experienced vs. the novice group, n.s.). These results suggested that the AWS may be a suitable device particularly for less experienced personnel, such as novice Advanced Life Support providers.

[Cerebellar ganglioglioma associated with a huge cyst: case report]

Gangliogliomas represent approximately 0.2% of all the intracranial tumors. Ganglioglioma arising from the cerebellum is rare, with a rate of 1.5-9% of CNS gangliogliomas. The authors report a case of cerebellar ganglioglioma with a huge cyst. A 28-year-old man presented headache and ataxia. Computerized tomography (CT) demonstrated a huge cyst at the vermian region with calcification located at the peripheral side of the cyst. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with administration of Gd-DTPA showed a slightly enhanced small mass at the left side of the cyst. Preoperative diagnosis of the lesion seemed to be a cystic astrocytoma. The tumor was removed subtotally through the midline suboccipital approach. Pathological examination of the tumor specimen revealed a ganglioglioma. The postoperative course was uneventful with no sign of tumor regrowth on repeated MRI. According to the previous 17 reports of cerebellar ganglioglioma including our case, the shorter interval from onset to the diagnosis and clinical symptoms such as increased intracranial pressure were conspicuous as compared with supratentorial ganglioglioma because of the anatomically narrow space of the posterior fossa. Neuroradiological findings showed tumor enhancement in 86% of the cases, calcification in 67%, and cyst formation in 53%.

PVT and Vapor Pressure Measurements on Ethane

New measurements of the vapor pressures and PVT properties of ethane are reported. PVT determinations have been made from near the triple point to 320 K at pressures to 33 MPa. The density range investigated extends to more than three times the critical density. The new measurements of the vapor pressures of ethane extend from 160 K to near the critical point.