EMS World Magazine is the most authoritative source in the world for clinical and educational material designed to improve the delivery of prehospital emergency medical care.
Issue link: https://emsworld.epubxp.com/i/516933
EMS STATE OF THE SCIENCES CONFERENCE: REPORT FROM THE GATHERING OF EAGLES EMSWORLD.com | JUNE 2015 53 Eagles host and program coordinator Paul Pepe addresses members of the faculty. The 17th annual EMS State of the Sciences Conference—more commonly referred to as the Gathering of Eagles—convened in Dallas, TX, on February 20 and 21, 2015. This event is famous for its 10-minute bullet plenary presentations, lightning rounds and other innovative educational advances, delivering 60+ presentations over two days, which, according to conference evaluations, change nationwide medical practices almost overnight. Comprised of the jurisdictional EMS medical directors from the nation's largest municipalities and their counterparts in pivotal federal agencies, the faculty is responsible for the care of nearly 100 million citizens and is influential in shaping future EMS practice trends worldwide. Over the next few months, we will share highlights from the conference, which presents cutting-edge information and advances in EMS patient care, clinical research and systems management. This month we write about two presentations that looked at expanding the use of ultra- sound technologies into the prehospital arena for patients in cardiac arrest. Presentation: Ultrasound in Prehospital Cardiac Resuscitation. Presented by Drew Harrell, MD, Medical Director, Albuquerque Fire Department, Associate Director, UNM EMS Medical Direction Consortium DREW HARRELL, MD, medical director for the Albuquerque Fire Department and associate director of the University of New Mexico EMS Medical Direction Consor- tium, discussed utilizing part of an existing trauma-based ultrasound procedure to help guide care of patients in cardiac arrest. His session, "Ultrasound in Prehospital Cardiac Resuscitation," began with acknowledging the key role prehospital providers play in that effort. Harrell said EMS has a history of being early adopters of new technologies or trans- ferring technologies proven in emergency departments to the prehospital setting. In the early 1990s, he noted, there was a groundswell of interest in new technol- ogy, but much of it didn't stick—possibly because it was not used in the correct areas. He believes focusing on prehospital cardiac arrest can bring better results. "Cardiac arrest is one prehospital dis- ease process where the entirety of initial resuscitation occurs outside the emergency department," Harrell said. "We own that patient from the time of the event until return of circulation." Harrell believes the FAST (focused assessment with sonography for trauma) examination is a starting point for mov- ing ultrasound into the field. FAST is a helpful, noninvasive means of identifying fluid where it does not belong in trauma patients. When examining with ultrasound in the subxiphoid position, the operator can observe the presence of any pericar- dial fluid and how much "squeeze" effect the heart is producing. Harrell said one common indicator for use would be where a patient is showing pulseless electrical activity (PEA): "We often have the hardest time on patients Using Prehospital Ultrasound for Cardiac Resuscitation By Ed Mund Parasternal Long