Tri-Rivers Career Center Public Safety

10/23/2025

World Restart a Heart Day has arrived! 💙
When cardiac arrest happens, every second matters. Early CPR from a bystander can double or even triple survival rates before EMS arrives. 🫀

Let’s use today to spark action: encourage your friends, coworkers, and community to learn CPR. A few minutes of training could mean a lifetime for someone else! Check your local fire department, hospital, or the American Heart Association website for nearby CPR classes—or even stay informed with quick videos!

Let’s work together to bridge the gap and save more lives. 💪

10/17/2025

Wait, what? Nitroglycerin enhances brain perfusion during CPR?

A new swine study says yes, with a medication already in your med box.

Researchers evaluated nebulized nitroglycerin (NTG) during CPR and found a significant boost in carotid blood flow without negatively affecting aortic pressure.

🧠 Why it matters: Carotid blood flow is a key surrogate for cerebral perfusion. Improving flow to the brain during cardiac arrest could lead to better neurologic outcomes after ROSC.

💡 Key Findings:
✔️ Nebulized NTG increased mean carotid blood flow by 31%
✔️ No significant drop in coronary perfusion pressure
✔️ Safe and potentially easy to implement in prehospital and hospital settings

🚑 NTG is commonly carried in EMS units, and the nebulized form may offer a new role in supporting cerebral perfusion during resuscitation — without complicating CPR efforts.

🧪 Important: This study was conducted on a controlled porcine model, so it's not ready for prime time just yet. Human trials are obviously needed, but this is an exciting area of research that we'll be keeping our eyes on.

Read the paper here:https://www.handtevy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Nebulized-Nitroglycerin-Improves-Carotid-Blood-Flow-During-Cardiopulmonary-Resuscitation-in-a-Swine-Model-of-Cardiac-Arrest.pdf

🧬

08/21/2025

https://www.jems.com/patient-care/an-overview-of-traumatic-brain-injury-management-in-the-prehospital-environment/

Essential EMS strategies for traumatic brain injury include airway, hemodynamics and seizure management to improve prehospital TBI outcomes.

08/21/2025

https://www.jems.com/patient-care/medetomidine-overdose-why-more-naloxone-is-not-the-answer/

A new nonopioid sedative, medetomidine, is rapidly becoming the next adulterant of concern in illicit drug supply.

08/21/2025

https://www.jems.com/patient-care/intranasal-epinephrine-for-allergic-reactions/

EMS providers may encounter patients who have the new intranasal spray device called Neffy.

07/28/2025

Interesting!

In the largest retrospective observational cohort study, using the American College of Surgery Trauma Quality Improvement Program database, comparing mortality between over 3 million normothermic adult trauma patients versus over 29,000 hypothermic trauma patients showed a 2x higher death rate if hypothermic on ED arrival. Hypothermia was defined as a body temperature less than 35 °C on the first recorded ED temperature.

Their data showed hypothermia on arrival was an independent predictor of death, not just a marker of critical illness or “metabolic failure” from shock.

Additionally, they compared 113 propensity-matched hypothermic trauma patients who underwent rewarming vs 113 who were hypothermic but not rewarmed. The non-rewarmed group had a 21.2% mortality vs 8.2% if rewarmed. The non-rewarmed group also had more in-hospital complications, longer hospital lengths of stay, more ICU days, and longer duration of mechanical ventilation.

Jose AM, Rafieezadeh A, Zeeshan M, Kirsch J, Froula G, Prabhakaran K, Zangbar B. Hypothermia on admission predicts poor outcomes in adult trauma patients. Injury. 2025 May;56(5):112076. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2024.112076. Epub 2024 Dec 3. PMID: 39658434.

07/18/2025

https://www.jems.com/patient-care/expedient-field-amputations/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=jems

This review paper describes the difficulties of expedient field amputations and provides suggestions for the future.