Don ’ t Let Weak Research Influence Policies with Life and Death Consequences

This study wrongly creates the impression that advanced ambulances cause more deaths. In fact, they transport patients who are already more likely to die. One large study shows that advanced ambulance teams are twice as likely as basic ambulances to pick up people with respiratory distress, serious breathing conditions, resulting in more deaths. In other words, people who are barely breathing are 100% more likely to get more advanced ambulances, making it appear that advanced ambulances “cause” more deaths when it is the opposite. People who can’t breathe and are more likely to die, are sent advanced ambulances in efforts to save their lives (the very definition of triage). As can be seen in the above figure, patients transported in advanced ambulances were far more likely to be suffering life-threatening conditions. They were almost twice as likely to have supplemental oxygen, were a third more likely to be admitted to the hospital, and had 12 times the rate of electrocardiograph monitoring. Moreover, only patients in the advanced support ambulances had intravenous lines. The graph above, likewise illustrates the more severe clinical conditions of patients transported in advanced ambulances. They were a fifth more likely to have very low blood pressure, and a third more likely to have very high blood pressure. They were almost twice as likely to have asthma or emphysema, and almost four times more likely to suffer from respiratory depression. This is hardly the resul...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs