Abstract
To assess the availability and use of diagnostic tools, therapeutic equipment and drugs for the prehospital treatment of acute coronary syndromes, cardiopulmonary arrest and other cardiovascular emergencies in Belgian physician-staffed and hospital-based mobile intensive care units. In April 2001, a questionnaire was sent to all Belgian mobile intensive care unit centres. The response rate was 90%. There was a 100% availability of many drugs and therapeutic equipment, with a well-established role in the care of cardiovascular emergencies: defibrillators, nitrates, epinephrine, atropine and diuretics. Important emergency drugs and tools were not ubiquitously available: external pacemakers (90%), aspirin (90%), bicarbonate (99%), amiodarone (87%), and intravenous beta-blockers (75%). Twelve-lead electrocardiogram recorders and thrombolytics had a rather low availability (46 and 20%, respectively) and were rarely used. There was a high availability of some drugs with limited data to support their use: oral calcium antagonists (61%), bretylium (65%) and isoproterenol (92%). In Belgian mobile intensive care units the availability and use of technical and diagnostic equipment and cardiac drugs varied to an important extent. A local m...Continue Reading
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