This Week in EMS: A Recap for September 8 - 14, 2007

This Tuesday, concerns over the health of ground zero workers loomed over the sixth anniversary of 9/11.

Many rescuers are ill - with new cases still coming forward - with respiratory problems and cancers. They blame the illnesses on exposure to the fallen towers' toxic dust.

On Wednesday, doctors treating ill workers offered Congress a detailed update on who is still sick or may yet become sick. Lingering 9/11-related illnesses and deaths of some first responders have led to calls in Congress for a federal program to fund long-term health programs for those workers.

For further coverage of the 9/11 anniversary and the health issues for responders, visit the following articles on EMSResponder.com:

• Heads Bowed in Memory of 9/11 Victims
• Doctor Details 9/11 Workers' Illnesses
• Health Issues Linger for 9/11 Responders
• 9/11 Hero EMT Gets Help from His Friends

Also this week, details were released about a potential breakthrough by biomedical engineer Leslie Geddes of Purdue University. Geddes has developed a new method to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation that he says is more effective than standard CPR because it increases nourishing blood flow through the heart by 25 percent over the current method.

Geddes calls this CPR alternative "only rhythmic abdominal compression," or OAC-CPR, which works by pushing on the abdomen instead of the chest.

"There are major problems with standard CPR," Geddes says. "One is the risk of breaking ribs if you push too hard, but if you don't push hard you won't save the person. Another problem is the risk of transferring infection with mouth-to-mouth breathing." This new CPR method eliminates both risks, he says.

Geddes says the elimination of rib fractures, a common result of compressing the chest, is an important benefit. Rib fractures cause the chest to recoil more slowly, but effective CPR requires that rescuers wait until the chest recoils fully before compressing.

Purdue researchers compared coronary artery blood flow during standard chest-compression CPR with the flow resulting from only abdominal compression CPR. Their findings showed that using the new method and pushing with the same force recommended for standard CPR provided 25 percent more blood flow through the heart muscle without retrograde flow in the coronary arteries. Their results will be detailed in a paper appearing this month in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Whether the procedure gains acceptance will depend on whether other researchers can duplicate Geddes' results.

To read more about this study, read New CPR May Offer Better Results.

The EMS system in California may undergo a major change as a result of a bill passed late Tuesday by the state legislature to track EMTs across the state. The goal is to prevent personnel who have been disciplined for patient care problems or other wrongdoing to float unhindered between jurisdictions.

The bill has been sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, but as of Wednesday he reportedly hadn't decided whether to sign it.

The measure would close two major loopholes in the oversight of the state's estimated 70,000 EMTs, first by establishing a centralized registry, and second, by requiring all prospective EMTs to undergo FBI and state law enforcement background checks before being hired.

California is the only state that as yet has no EMT registry or statewide requirement for criminal background checks. Some EMTs who have been disciplined or fired in one jurisdiction have been found to have gotten jobs in others, with their new employers unaware of their previous problems.

For additional details visit EMS Registry Established in California.

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