... �a c'est si vous allez � l'h�pital APPROPRI� le plus proche
...directement � un Centre de Trauma de niveau 1

C'est le temps de changer nos protocoles
R�ellement pas compliqu�
Une fin de semaine et c'est fait !

Chiche !


Charles Brault EMT-P


J Trauma. 2000 Oct;49(4):584-99. 
Advanced or basic life support for trauma: meta-analysis and critical
review of the literature.

Liberman M, Mulder D, Sampalis J.

Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

BACKGROUND: The question of whether to use advanced life support
(ALS) or basic life support (BLS) for trauma patients in the
prehospital setting has been much debated and still lacks a clear
answer. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive
critical review of the literature regarding this controversy 

METHODS: A total of 174 articles on prehospital ALS or BLS for trauma
were reviewed. Fifteen of these studies were found to involve
mortality statistics for both ALS- and BLS-treated patients. Odds
ratios were calculated for survival in ALS versus BLS and summarized
across studies on the basis of multivariate scoring systems that
incorporated both design and methodological assessment. Overall odds
ratios for all studies were calculated on the basis of both raw data
from the papers, and weighted odds ratios were calculated from the
scoring systems. 

RESULTS: Six studies were scored as being methodologically average (5
favoring BLS and 1 favoring ALS), two were scored as good (1 favoring
BLS and 1 favoring ALS), seven as excellent (6 favoring BLS and 1
favoring ALS). Ten studies had an average study design score (6
favoring BLS and 4 favoring ALS) and seven had a good study design
score (6 favoring BLS and 1 favoring ALS). Weighted odds ratio for
dying was 2.59 for patients receiving ALS compared with those
receiving BLS. The crude odds ratio was 2.92. 

CONCLUSION: The aggregated data in the literature have failed to
demonstrate a benefit for on-site ALS provided to trauma patients and
support the scoop and run approach.



Et les autres �tudes :


Ann Surg. 2003 Feb;237(2):153-60.       

Comment in: Ann Surg. 2003 Feb;237(2):161-2.

Multicenter Canadian study of prehospital trauma care.

Liberman M, Mulder D, Lavoie A, Denis R, Sampalis JS.

McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Montreal General Hospital,
Department of Surgery, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the type of on-site care a trauma
patient receives affects outcome. 

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The controversy regarding the prehospital
care of trauma patients between Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic
Life Support (BLS) is ongoing. Due to this unresolved controversy, as
well as historical, cultural, and political factors, there are
significant variations with respect to the type of prehospital care
available for trauma patients. 

METHODS: This prospective cohort study compared three types of
prehospital trauma care systems: Montreal, where physicians provide
ALS (MD-ALS); Toronto, where paramedics provide ALS (PMD-ALS); and
Quebec City, where emergency medical technicians provide BLS only
(EMT-BLS). The study took advantage of this variation to evaluate the
association between the type of on-site care and mortality in
patients with major life-threatening injuries. All patients were
treated at highly specialized tertiary (level I) trauma hospitals.
The main outcome measure was death as a result of injury. Follow-up
was to hospital discharge. 

RESULTS: The overall mortality rates by type of on-site personnel
were physicians 35%, paramedics 24%, and EMTs 18%. For patients with
major but survivable trauma, the overall mortality rates were
physicians 32%, paramedics 28%, and EMTs 26%. The overall mortality
rate of patients receiving only BLS at the scene was 18% compared to
29% for patients receiving ALS. For the subgroup of patients with
major but survivable injuries, the mortality rates were 30% for ALS
and 26% for BLS. The adjusted increased risk for mortality in
patients receiving ALS at the scene was 21%. CONCLUSIONS: In urban
centers with highly specialized level I trauma centers, there is no
benefit in having on-site ALS for the prehospital management of
trauma patients.



J Trauma. 2000 Apr;48(4):643-8.         
Effect of prehospital advanced life support on outcomes of major
trauma patients.

Eckstein M, Chan L, Schneir A, Palmer R.

University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles,
USA. [EMAIL PROTECTED]

OBJECTIVE: Determine whether prehospital advanced life support (ALS)
improves the survival of major trauma patients and whether it is
associated with longer on-scene times. 

METHODS: A 36-month retrospective study of all major trauma patients
who received either prehospital bag-valve-mask (BVM) or endotracheal
intubation (ETI) and were transported by paramedics to our Level I
trauma center. Logistic regression analysis determined the
association of prehospital ALS with patient survival. 

RESULTS: Of 9,451 major trauma patients, 496 (5.3%) had either BVM or
ETI. Eighty-one percent received BVM, with a mean Injury Severity
Score of 29 and a mortality rate of 67%; 93 patients (19%) underwent
successful ETI, with a mean Injury Severity Score of 35 and a
mortality rate of 93%. Adjusted survival for patients who had BVM was
5.3 times more likely than for patients who had ETI (95% confidence
interval, 2.3-14.2, p = 0.00). Survival among patients who received
intravenous fluids was 3.9 times more likely than those who did not
(p = not significant). Average on-scene times for patients who had
ETI or intravenous fluids were not significantly longer than those
who had BVM or no intravenous fluids. 

CONCLUSION: ALS procedures can be performed by paramedics on major
trauma patients without prolonging on-scene time, but they do not
seem to improve survival.




Acad Emerg Med. 1998 Jun;5(6):592-8.    

Advanced life support vs basic life support field care: an outcome
study.

Eisen JS, Dubinsky I.

Queen's University Faculty of Medicine, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the provision of advanced life
support (ALS) field care has any impact on patient outcome in the
urban Canadian environment. 

METHODS: A convenience cohort study was conducted of all emergent
ambulance transfers of adults to an urban Canadian hospital from May
22 to July 31, 1996. Data were collected from ambulance call reports
regarding presenting complaint and field interventions applied, and
from hospital records regarding time in the ED, hospital length of
stay (LOS), and discharge disposition. Patient outcomes were compared
within 7 presenting complaint groups (chest pain, altered level of
consciousness, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, motor vehicle
crash, falls, and other) by field care level: level 1--BLS (basic
life support) vs levels 2 and 3--ALS. 

RESULTS: The study population consisted of 1,397 patients. No
significant differences were seen between BLS and ALS patients on
baseline demographics. ED triage score did not depend on field care
level for any group, implying that those in the ALS group were not
inherently sicker. Outcome measures (ED LOS, admission rates, and
hospital LOS) showed no significant differences between BLS and ALS
for each presenting complaint group. Discharge dispositions were
analyzed by chi2 but were not varied enough to allow reliable
analysis. Observation of trends suggested no difference between BLS
and ALS. 

CONCLUSIONS: There was no beneficial impact on the measured patient
outcomes found in association with the provision of ALS vs BLS field
care in Metropolitan Toronto for patients who were brought to a
nontrauma center.




J Trauma. 1997 Aug;43(2):288-95; discussion 295-6.      
Direct transport to tertiary trauma centers versus transfer from
lower level facilities: impact on mortality and morbidity among
patients with major trauma.

Sampalis JS, Denis R, Frechette P, Brown R, Fleiszer D, Mulder D.

Montreal General Hospital, Quebec, Canada.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to compare the outcome of
severely injured patients who were transported directly to a Level I,
tertiary trauma center with those who were transferred after being
first transported to less specialized hospitals. 

METHODS: The data were based on all patients treated at three
tertiary trauma centers in Quebec between April 1, 1993, and December
31, 1995. There were 1,608 patients (37%) transferred and 2,756
patients (63%) transported directly. 

RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was approximately 45 years, and
more than 60% were males. The predominant mechanisms of injury were
falls and motor vehicle crashes. The transfer and direct transport
groups were similar with respect to age, gender, and mechanism of
injury. Body regions injured were also similar with the exception of
head or neck injuries (transfer, 56%; direct, 28%; p < 0.0001). The
mean Injury Severity Score was 14, the mean Pre-Hospital Index score
was 5.5, and the mean Revised Trauma Score was 7.5. The two groups
were similar with respect to these injury severity measures. The
primary outcome of interest was mortality described as overall death
rate, death rate in the emergency room, and death rate after
admission. Other outcomes studied were hospital length of stay and
duration of treatment in an intensive care unit. When compared with
the direct transport group, transferred patients were at increased
risk for overall mortality (transfer, 8.9%; direct, 4.8%; odds ratio,
1.96; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.53-2.50), emergency room
mortality (transfer, 3.4%; direct, 1.2%; odds ratio, 2.96; 95% CI =
1.90-4.6), and mortality after admission (transfer, 5.5%; direct,
3.6%; odds ratio, 1.57; 95% CI = 1.17-2.11). All of these differences
were statistically significant (p < 0.003). Stratified and multiple
logistic regression analysis did not alter these results and failed
to identify a patient subgroup for which transfer was associated with
a reduced risk of mortality. After adjusting for patient age, Injury
Severity Score, and presence of injuries to the head or neck and
extremities, transferred patients stayed significantly longer in the
hospital and the intensive care unit as indicated by the mean length
of stay (transfer, 16.0 days; direct, 13.2 days; p = 0.02) and the
mean intensive care unit stay (transfer, 2.0 days; direct, 0.95 days;
p = 0.001). 

CONCLUSION: The results of this study have shown that transportation
of severely injured patients from the scene directly to Level I
trauma centers is associated with a reduction in mortality and
morbidity. Further studies are required for the evaluation of
transport protocols for rural trauma. Economic and cost-effectiveness
considerations of patient triage are also essential.



Prehospital Disaster Med. 1996 Apr-Jun;11(2):101-4.     

Does the level of prehospital care influence the outcome of patients
with altered levels of consciousness?

Adams J, Aldag G, Wolford R.

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, USA.

HYPOTHESIS: Significant differences exist in the outcome of patients
with altered level of consciousness (ALOC) cared for by advanced life
support (ALS) compared with basic life support (BLS) prehospital
providers. 

METHODS: Patients transported by ambulance to a community teaching
hospital during an 11-month period were studied retrospectively.
Study patients were those considered not alert by prehospital
personnel. Exclusion criteria included; trauma, intoxication,
drowning, shock, and cardiac arrest. Data were abstracted from the
ambulance reports and hospital records. 

RESULTS: Two hundred three patients with an ALOC were identified; 113
were transported by ALS providers (56%) and 90 (44%) by BLS
providers. Prehospital levels of consciousness, according to the
"alert, verbal, painful, unresponsive" scale (ALS vs BLS) were:
"verbal" (40% vs 51%), "painful" (23% vs 23%), and "unresponsive"
(37% vs 25%). The mean value for some time was 15 +/- 6 minutes for
ALS versus 10 +/- 4 minutes for BLS (p < 0.001). On arrival in the
emergency department, the LOC of 72 (64%) ALS patients and 58 (64%)
BLS patients had improved to "alert." The level of consciousness in
one ALS patient worsened. Fifty-two ALS (46%) and 38 (42%) BLS
patients were admitted. Principal final diagnoses were seizure (27%
ALS vs 38% BLS), hypoglycemia (23% ALS vs 23% BLS), and stroke (22%
ALS vs 20% BLS). Remaining diagnoses each constituted less than 7% of
total discharge diagnoses. No statistically significant differences
in measures of outcome were noted between ALS or BLS patients.
Diagnoses of seizure, stroke, and hypoglycemia were studied
individually. No differences in admission rate, mortality rate, or
disposition were identified. Hypoglycemic patients conveyed by ALS
providers had significantly shorter emergency department treatment
times than did those transported by BLS providers (160 +/- 62 minutes
ALS vs 229 +/- 67 minutes BLS [p < 0.005]). 

CONCLUSION: Advanced life support levels of care of patients with an
ALOC does not significantly change outcome compared with those
receiving BLS care with the exception of shorter emergency department
treatment times for hypoglycemic patients.




Prehospital Disaster Med. 1994 Jul-Sep;9(3):178-88; discussion 189.     

Determinants of on-scene time in injured patients treated by
physicians at the site.

Sampalis JS, Lavoie A, Salas M, Nikolis A, Williams JI.

Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

INTRODUCTION: The controversy surrounding the use of advanced life
support (ALS) for the pre-hospital management of trauma pivots on the
fact that these procedures could cause significant and
life-threatening delays to definitive in-hospital care. In Montreal,
Quebec, on-site ALS to injured patients is provided by physicians
only. The purpose of this study was to identify parameters associated
with the duration of scene time for patients with moderate to severe
injuries treated by physicians at the scene. 

HYPOTHESIS: The use of on-site ALS by physicians is associated with a
significant increase in scene time. 

METHODS: A total of 576 patients with moderate to severe injuries are
included in the analysis. This group was part of a larger cohort used
in the prospective evaluation of trauma care in Montreal. Descriptive
statistics, analysis of variance, multiple linear regression, and
multiple logistic regression techniques were used to analyze the
data. 

RESULTS: Use of ALS in general was associated with a statistically
significant increase in the mean scene time of 6.5 min. (p = .0001).
Significant increases in mean scene time were observed for initiation
of an intravenous route (mean = 6.6 min., p = .0001), medication
administration (mean = 5.7 min., p = .0001), and pneumatic antishock
garment (PASG) application (mean = 9.3 min., p = .03). Similar
differences were observed for total prehospital time. A significant
increase in the relative odds for having long scene times (> 20 min.)
also was associated with the use of ALS. This level of scene time was
associated with a significant increase in the odds of dying (OR =
2.6, p = .009). 

CONCLUSION: This study shows that physician-provided, on-site ALS
causes significant increase in scene time and total prehospital time.
These delays are associated with an increase in the risk for death in
patients with severe injuries.



J Trauma. 1993 Sep;35(3):460-6; discussion 466-7.       


Basic life support versus advanced life support for injured patients
with an injury severity score of 10 or more.

Cayten CG, Murphy JG, Stahl WM.

Institute for Trauma and Emergency Care, New York Medical College,
Valhalla.

To study the value of advanced life support (ALS) compared with basic
life support (BLS) for penetrating and motor vehicle crash (MVC)
patients, data were collected from eight hospitals over 24 months on
781 consecutive patients with Injury Severity Scores > or = 10 as
well as on a subset of 219 hypotensive patients. Initial prehospital
Revised Trauma Scores (RTSs) were compared with initial emergency
department RTSs. Scene times, total prehospital times, and the use of
a pneumatic antishock garment (PASG), intravenous fluids, and
endotracheal intubation were also documented. A modified TRISS method
was used to compare mortality rates. The MVC ALS patients showed
improvement in mean RTSs between prehospital and the emergency
department while MVC BLS patients did not. Mean changes in blood
pressure (BP) and the percentage of patients with improved BP were
significantly higher among patients who received ALS; ALS was
associated with increased use of PASGs and IV fluids. There were no
differences between groups with respect to observed versus predicted
mortality. Similar results were found in the hypotensive subset of
patients. 

No benefit from the use of ALS for trauma patients with total
prehospital times of less than 35 minutes was documented.




J Trauma. 1992 Dec;33(6):850-5.         

The association of advanced life support training and decreased per
capita trauma death rates: an analysis of 12,417 trauma deaths.

Messick WJ, Rutledge R, Meyer AA.

Department of Surgery, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill.

This study identified a number of significant predictors of per
capita county trauma mortality rates: rurality, percentage nonwhite
population, percentage unemployment, and Advanced Life Support (ALS)
versus Basic Life Support (BLS) status. Of these, ALS versus BLS
status is not only the most significant independent predictor, it is
the only predictor readily amenable to change. The aspects of ALS
clearly associated with decreased trauma death rates should be
identified and, if possible, undergo widespread implementation.







J Trauma. 1988 May;28(5):563-70.        

Is advanced life support appropriate for victims of motor vehicle
accidents: the South Carolina Highway Trauma Project.

Reines HD, Bartlett RL, Chudy NE, Kiragu KR, McKnew MA.

Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina,
Charleston 29425.

There is continuing controversy over the use of Advanced Life Support
(ALS) in the treatment of multisystem injury. In this study,
performed to define the role of ALS in the management of motor
vehicle accidents (MVA), 538 ambulance run reports (ARR) and hospital
records of patients involved in MVA in South Carolina for 1983 were
examined. Of these, 248 were reviewed in depth by a trauma review
committee (TRC). Paramedics were present in 81% (93% urban, 80%
rural) of cases. ALS crews averaged 24.8 minutes on the scene
compared to 18.1 minutes for Basic Life Support (BLS). It took 6
minutes longer to transport rural patients than urban patients (15.7
vs. 9.6 min). Total EMS time (response, on scene, transport) was 46
+/- 20 minutes. Extrication increased on-scene time from 20.5 to 31.1
minutes. Endotracheal intubation attempts were 67% successful and
IV's were placed in 88% of attempts. Thirty-two per cent of ALS
patients demonstrated an increased blood pressure en route compared
to 12% of BLS patients. 

The TRC felt prehospital care was beneficial in 85% of cases, while
11.7% had inappropriate or inadequate care. Resuscitation and ALS in
MVA appears to be beneficial in the treatment of multisystem trauma
in a rural state.



: J Trauma. 1984 Jan;24(1):8-13.        

Prehospital advanced life support: benefits in trauma.

Jacobs LM, Sinclair A, Beiser A, D'Agostino RB.

The Boston Emergency Medical Service system was studied to determine
the effects of Advanced Life Support (ALS) prehospital trauma care
compared to Basic Life Support (BLS) treatment. The severity of
injury and clinical status of patients was defined and monitored
using the Trauma Score (TS) described by Champion. The TS on arrival
at the hospital increased significantly more for patients receiving
field ALS care than for patients transported by BLS ambulances (p =
0.01). ALS resuscitation had most influence on patients with TS 4-13
and did not delay transport time. Furthermore, a positive change in
prehospital TS was significantly related to an increased chance of
long-term survival for any given severity of injury (p = 0.0002). 

>From these data we conclude that the TS is useful for prehospital
triage and that appropriate field ALS resuscitation results in more
favorable outcomes following major trauma.








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