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Superior North EMS Paramedics Participating in North America Wide Pre-Hospital Research

SUPERIOR  NORTH EMS PARAMEDICS PARTICIPATING IN NORTH AMERICA WIDE PRE-HOSPITAL RESEARCH

October 12, 2006 - Superior North EMS paramedics will participate in important and groundbreaking pre-hospital research beginning today.  In the first of four clinical studies being conducted by the Research Outcomes Consortium (ROC), Thunder Bay paramedics will administer different types of fluid for patients suffering from severe traumatic injuries causing significant blood loss or severe brain injury.

Those patients that have suffered a severe traumatic injury causing either significant blood loss or a significant brain injury will be administered different types of fluid.  Trauma is the leading cause of death amongst North Americans under the age of 44, and most of these deaths come from severe brain injury or significant blood loss. 50% of these patients die at the scene.   Paramedics currently administer normal saline to these patients, and this study aims to show an improvement in patient outcome with the administration of hypertonic saline.

“We anticipate that approximately 12 patients annually will be enrolled in the study,” said Norm Gale, Manager of Quality Assurance and Training.  “The goal is to see if more lives can be saved by having paramedics at the scene administer a type of fluid that is hypertonic, that is, with a higher concentration of electrolytes.  Research indicates that the difference in concentration may have a positive effect on mortality”, he added.

The Research Outcomes Consortium (ROC) is a North America wide network of researchers in the pre-hospital care and the emergency medical services field.  Thunder Bay paramedics will join colleagues in Ottawa, Vancouver, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Seattle and other cities in this, the first of four studies.  Other studies in which Thunder Bay paramedics will soon participate include looking at the efficacy of CPR and defibrillation for patients without a pulse, and if a build-up of pressure in the chest after patients are ventilated has a detrimental outcome.

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre ethics board has approved the study and their base Hospital Program is providing medical oversight.