Use of an automated device for external chest compressions by first-aid workers unfamiliar with the device: a step toward public access?
An automated ECC device can be rapidly placed and used by first-aid workers unfamiliar with the device. In the light of these results, use of the device by the general public can be envisaged.
Swiss patients with hip or femoral fractures sustained while travelling in a foreign country had fewer complications and a better functional outcome if repatriated and operated on in Switzerland than if operated on abroad. The reasons for this unexpected result remain unclear. Medical, ethnic and psychological factors could well play a part. These results need further clarification and should be tested in larger studies with different pathologies.