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Does Basic life Support in a Rural EMS System Influence the Outcome of Patients with Respiratory Distress?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Lawrence H. Brown ,
N. Heramba Prasad ,
Theodore W. Whitley ,
Nicholas H. Benson  and
Adrian Corlette
Lawrence H. Brown*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina
N. Heramba Prasad
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina
Theodore W. Whitley
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina Office of Medical Education, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina
Nicholas H. Benson
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina
Adrian Corlette
Affiliation:
Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown, New Jersey
*
Division of Emergency Medical Services, Building M, Physician's Quadrangle, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
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Abstract

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to determine whether basic life support, prehospital emergency medical care in a rural area affects the hospital course of patients with respiratory distress.

Methods:

Medical records for patients admitted from the emergency department with a discharge diagnosis related to respiratory disease were reviewed. Data collected included: 1) mode of arrival; 2) initial symptom; 3) vital signs; 4) prehospital interventions applied; 5) hospital days; 6) discharge status; and 7) principal diagnosis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to predict length of hospital stay.

Results:

Charts for 603 patients were reviewed. Complete data for all variables included in the logistic regression analysis were available for 471 patients (78.1%). Because 55 patients died, only 416 (69.0%) were included in the multiple regression analysis conducted to predict length of hospital stay. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that patients who arrived by ambulance and older patients were more likely to die; patients with higher systolic blood pressures were more likely to survive. Only patient age predicted length of hospital stay, with older patients having longer stays.

Conclusions:

Basic life support prehospital care in this rural emergency medical services system does not result in a lower mortality rate or a shorter hospital stay for a broad group of patients with respiratory distress who require hospital admission. Although this study is limited to a single population and a single emergency medical services system, it is one of only a few studies of outcome in basic life support systems.

Keywords

basic life supportcongestive heart failureemergency medical servicesrespiratory distressruraltransportation of patients
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 11 , Issue 4 , December 1996 , pp. 285 - 290
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 1996

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