Introduction: Tracheal intubation is the optimal method for opening up airways. Performed correctly, it prevents stomach contents from entering the respiratory tract and allows asynchronous cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to be conducted during sudden cardiac arrest. An important element of correct intubation is proper inflation of the endotracheal tube cuff. Research has shown that when medical personnel use the palpation technique, the cuff is usually inflated incorrectly. This can result in numerous health complications for the patient.Methods: This research was conducted in 2020 on a group of paramedics participating in the 15th International Winter Championship of Medical Rescuers in Bielsko-Biala (Poland). The aim of the research was to assess two methods of inflating the endotracheal tube cuff. Method A involved inflating the cuff using a syringe and assessing the pressure in the control cuff using the palpation technique. Method B involved inflating the cuff using a manometer. During the inflation, both the cuff inflation pressure and the time required to complete the procedure were recorded. Analysis was also conducted on whether completion of certified Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) training had any influence on the effectiveness of the inflation procedure.Results: The research showed that paramedics using Method B significantly more often inflated the endotracheal tube cuff to the correct pressure than those using Method A. However, when Method B was used, the procedure took longer to conduct. The study also showed that completion of certified ALS or ACLS training did not have a significant influence on proper inflation of the cuff. Those who had completed certified training courses took significantly longer to inflate the endotracheal tube cuff when using Method A.Conclusions: Inflation of the endotracheal tube cuff by use of a syringe, followed by the palpation technique for assessing the inflation of the cuff balloon, is ineffective. Paramedic teams should be equipped with manometers to be used for inflating the endotracheal tube cuff.

Background/Objectives: Conducting advanced resuscitation requires medical personnel to carry out appropriately coordinated actions. Certain difficulties arise when it becomes necessary to conduct cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on two patients at the same time. The aim of this paper was to assess the actions of teams participating in emergency medicine championships in tasks related to simultaneous cardiac arrests in two patients. Methods: The study was conducted on the basis of an analysis of assessment cards for tasks carried out during the ‘International Winter Championships in Emergency Medicine’. Three-person medical response teams (MRTs), with the support of two people, had the task of conducting advanced resuscitation on an adult and child simultaneously. The tasks were prepared and developed by European Resuscitation Council (ERC) instructors. Results: The study showed that teams used four methods of checking heart rhythm and performing defibrillation during CPR—using paddles only, using paddles and self-adhesive electrodes, using paddles and a three-lead ECG and using two pairs of self-adhesive electrodes. Teams performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation using paddles and a three-lead ECG performed significantly more actions incorrectly than other teams—in part due to the fact that they incorrectly interpreted which patient’s heart rhythm was displayed on the defibrillator screen. The effectiveness of the remaining methods was similar for most of the actions. The CPR method using two pairs of electrodes enabled personal safety to be maintained to the significantly highest percentage during defibrillation. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that the need to conduct CPR on two patients at the same time, irrespective of the method used, caused MRT members considerable difficulties in correctly conducting some of the actions. The method of assessing heart rhythm using paddles and a three-lead ECG should not be used. The study showed that the optimal method of CPR in use appears to be the method using two pairs of adhesive electrodes—it provided, among other things, the significantly highest percentage of safely conducted defibrillation.

Background: Medical personnel carrying out electrical cardioversion (EC) procedures must remember to have the R-wave sync mode switched on, use the correct energy and maintain personal safety. The defibrillators used by medical response teams most often switch out of cardioversion mode once a shock is delivered. Therefore, this mode must be switched on again before subsequent shocks are delivered. The main aim of the study was to assess the ability of emergency medical teams participating in emergency medicine championships to perform EC. Methods: The research was a retrospective observational study and was based on an analysis of the evaluation sheets from two tasks simulating the management of a patient with unstable tachycardia conducted during the International Winter Emergency Medicine Championships. Three-person teams consisting of paramedics and representing the Polish emergency services were included in the study. The team representing the championship organiser and the few foreign teams participating in the competition were excluded from the study. Results: The decision to conduct EC was taken by 36 teams (83.72%) in 2015 and 27 teams (87.10%) in 2019. In both editions of the championships, during consecutive shocks, the percentage of actions performed correctly decreased significantly—switching on synchronisation mode in 2015 (94.4%, 83.33%, 72.22%) and in 2019 (100%, 88.89%, 81.48%); correct energies in 2015 (91.67%, 80.56%, 77.78%) and in 2019 (92.59%, 85.19%, 81.48%); shocks in a safe manner in 2015 (94.44%, 94.44%, 91.67%) and in 2019 (100%, 96.30%, 96.30%). Conclusions: Teams participating in the assessed tasks in a significant majority of cases correctly qualified the patient for EC, and correctly carried out the actions required for this procedure. It is of particular note that with every subsequent shock, the percentage of shocks carried out without the sync mode increased significantly.

Introduction: It is common knowledge that the correct application of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) requires technical skills such as defibrillation, high‐quality chest compressions, and efficient airway management. However, scientific research is increasingly underlining the role of appropriate training in nontechnical skills (NTS). Research Aim: This exploratory study aimed to assess the relationship between NTS and the quality of advanced CPR among paramedics. Materials and Methods: The research involved 51 paramedics randomly assigned to 17 three‐person teams. Each team participated in a 15‐min cardiac arrest scenario. After the first session, the teams were divided into two groups: the intervention group (Group 1), which underwent specialized NTS training, and the control group (Group 2), which did not receive the initial training. Directly after the training phase, all teams from both groups carried out a second attempt during a simulated sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) scenario identical to the first one. Results: The lowest CPR result in the intervention group (Group 1) was Min = −3.00, and the highest Max = 13.00, while in the control group (Group 2), the lowest result was Min = −42.00, and the highest Max = 8.00 ( p < 0.05). In Group 1, a statistically significant correlation ( p < 0.05) was noted between the change in the NTS score and the change in the CPR result. A higher NTS score was accompanied by a higher CPR score. Conclusions: A short NTS training session was associated with improved NTS application by paramedic resuscitation teams. Furthermore, higher chest compression quality positively correlated with NTS proficiency.