Open Access Emergency Medicine (Apr 2022)
Application of Automated External Defibrillators in Motorcycle Ambulances in Thailand’s Emergency Medical Services
Abstract
Korakot Apiratwarakul,1 Somsak Tiamkao,2 Lap Woon Cheung,3,4 Ismet Celebi,5 Takaaki Suzuki,6 Kamonwon Ienghong1 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; 2Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; 3Department of Accident and Emergency, Princess Margaret Hospital, Kowloon, Hong Kong; 4Emergency Medicine Unit, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong; 5Department of Paramedic, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey; 6Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, University of Tsukuba Hospital, Tsukuba, JapanCorrespondence: Kamonwon Ienghong, Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand, Tel +66 043 366 869, Email [email protected]: Access time to emergency patients is a critical factor that affects the outcomes of life-or-death situations, especially in the cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA). This study focused on developing a new model of emergency medical services (EMS) using a motorcycle-based ambulance (motorlance) with an automated external defibrillator (AED). There are currently no studies regarding access time for this vehicle. This study aimed at utilization of an AED in conjunction with motorlance and comparing the response time between a traditional ambulance and a motorlance.Methods: This was a prospective study conducted in the EMS department of Srinagarind Hospital, located in Khon Kaen, Thailand, over a five-month period, from September 2021 to January 2022. Data were recorded employing a national standard of operations record form used for Thailand EMS departments nationwide.Results: The 891 cases were divided into two groups which were motorlance and ambulance. The activation times for motorlance and ambulance were 0.44 minutes and 1.42 minutes, respectively (p < 0.001) and the response time in the motorlance group was 7.20 minutes compared with 9.25 minutes in the ambulance group. In OHCA, the motorlance with AED arrived at patients location and assisted to continue resuscitation at the hospital 88.9% of the time.Conclusion: AED used in conjunction with motorcycle ambulances had shorter periods of both activation time and response time compared to ambulances. The use of AEDs clearly increases the number of continuous resuscitations in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.Keywords: ambulance, cardiac arrest, emergency care, prehospital emergency care, response time
