- Meeting abstract
- Open Access
- Published:
Rapid Extrication of entrapped victims of motor vehicle accidents; a feasibility study
Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine volume 21, Article number: S17 (2013)
Background
Prompt and safe extrication of motor vehicle accident patients is essential to allow efficient transport to hospital. A rapid extrication technique was developed in the Oslo-Akershus Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and fire service in 1999. The Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation trains fire fighters, police and EMS personnel in this technique. This study investigated how well the technique can be learned by rescue personnel and the extent of its implementation. A previous study indicates that rapid extrication is an a more efficient alternative than previously existing techniques [1].
Method
Extrication times by teams interested and trained in the method were recorded during the Norwegian National Championship in Rapid Extrication. A questionnaire study was conducted after the contest. Answers were given on a Lickert scale ranging from one to seven. A cross-sectional study to investigate to which extent fire-fighting services have implemented the method is on going.
Results
The mean time from start to end of exercise was 13 minutes 56 seconds (range: 12 minutes 25 seconds to 19 minutes). They trained the technique in teams on average 2,7 times a year (range 0-4). Self-reported security of crew scored 6,7 (range 4-7), patient safety 6,7 (5-7), communication between personnel 6,6 (3-7), teamwork 6,7 (5-7), and how well the technique functioned 6,7 (5-7).
Discussion and conclusion
Participants were satisfied with security, communication, teamwork and how the technique functioned. Time expenditure was good; all teams had the patient in the ambulance within 20 minutes. These are critical factors to prevent sustained hypoxia, uncontrolled bleeding, hypothermia and for overall survival of the seriously injured trauma patient.
References
Wik L, Hansen TB, Kjensli K, Steen PA: Rapid extrication from a car wreck. Injury. 2004, 35 (8): 739-45. 10.1016/j.injury.2004.01.003.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
About this article
Cite this article
Johnsen, A., Fattah, S., Andersen, J. et al. Rapid Extrication of entrapped victims of motor vehicle accidents; a feasibility study. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med 21 (Suppl 1), S17 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-7241-21-S1-S17
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-7241-21-S1-S17
Keywords
- Emergency Medical Service
- Motor Vehicle Accident
- Fire Fighter
- Fire Service
- Emergency Medical Service Personnel