Br Med J (Clin Res Ed)  1987;295:1387-1389 (28 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.295.6610.1387

Advanced training for ambulance crews: implications from 403 consecutive patients with cardiac arrest managed by crews with simple training.

J M Rowley, P Mounser, C Garner, J R Hampton

Department of Medicine, University Hospital, Nottingham.

Sixty seven ambulance staff in Nottinghamshire completed a simple extended training programme in managing cardiac arrest and using a defibrillator. This enabled around one third of the ambulance emergency shifts to be manned by such a crew, with a defibrillator as part of their standard equipment. Forty four of 403 consecutive patients who suffered cardiac arrest in the community were managed by these crews and survived to leave hospital. The training programme does not include endotracheal intubation, intravenous infusion, or drug administration. The new official advanced training course for ambulance crews, which includes these skills, is inappropriate in its methods and may delay widespread introduction of emergency ambulances equipped with defibrillators.


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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Soo, L.H., Gray, D., Young, T., Skene, A., Hampton, J.R. (1999). Influence of ambulance crew's length of experience on the outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Eur Heart J 20: 535-540 [Abstract]  
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