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Elaine Stuffel

Publications and source records attributed to Elaine Stuffel.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

A video based training program improves defibrillator inspection compliance.

Improperly maintained defibrillators are an important cause of defibrillation delay or failure during in-hospital cardiac arrest. This study investigated whether a brief training video of how to properly inspect crash carts and defibrillators would improve the quality and frequency of these inspections. The study was a before-after cohort design. Crash cart inspection logs were explicitly examined, and the electronic archive records of the defibrillators were interrogated. The compliance and quality of inspections were compared before and after the implementation of the training video program. The missed-inspection rate for defibrillators significantly improved from 8.9% to 6.9% (p= 0.037) after video training program implementation. The missed-inspection rate for crash carts, however, actually worsened from 2.7% before to 8.0% (p = 0.0001). The introduction of a new crash cart inspection training video program improved the frequency and quality of defibrillator inspections but not crash cart inspections. The inspection of crash carts and defibrillators is a vital hospital task. Because available training time for clinical personnel is limited, our 15-minute video can be viewed on a ward computer workstation at the most convenient time.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation↗
PubMed2005

Decreasing the time to defibrillation: a comparative study of defibrillator electrode designs.

INTRODUCTION: Time to defibrillation (T(defib)) is the most important modifiable factor affecting survival from cardiac arrest. Mortality increases by approximately 7--10% for each minute of defibrillation delay. The purpose of this study was to determine whether defibrillator electrode design complexity affects T(defib). METHODS: This was a randomized sequential design study utilizing a standardized ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest model for CPR mannequins. We evaluated two common types of defibrillator electrode models: a single connector design and a double connector design that requires an adaptor. We compared the time required by cardiac arrest team leaders to apply the two types of defibrillator electrodes to a manikin, connect them to a defibrillator, and then deliver a first defibrillatory shock. The primary outcome was time to defibrillation. The secondary outcome was difficulty of application as perceived by the physician participants on a 10 cm visual analog scale. RESULTS: Thirty-two residents performed a sequential assessment of both electrodes. The average T(defib) for the double connector model was 42.9s longer than that of the single connector model (87.5s versus 44.6s, p<0.001). As evaluated by the study participants, the single connector model was significantly easier to apply then the double connector model (1.3 cm versus 4.4 cm, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The single connector defibrillator electrode design was associated with a significantly shorter T(defib) than the double connector design. It also was judged to be easier to apply in this model. Ergonomic design of defibrillator electrodes can significantly impact time to defibrillation.

Defibrillators↗