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Abstract
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The year 2022 has been a year of significant advancements in disaster and emergency medicine. The global community, in the previous years, has faced numerous challenges, from the COVID-19 pandemic to an increase in natural disasters (1), and these experiences have provided valuable insights into disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. This Research Topic brings together six outstanding contributions that explore various aspects of disaster and emergency medicine, focusing on public health, military medicine, trauma care, and cardiac arrest management. It aims to shed light on the challenges and advancements in the field of disaster and emergency medicine, emphasizing the importance of a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach (2). The contributing articles in this Research Topic cover a wide range of topics, highlighting the complexity of this field and the need for innovative solutions to address emerging challenges.
Climate change is an essential theme in this Research Topic, as it has far-reaching implications for public health and emergency medicine (3). Robinson et al. explore the impact of climate change on military health and defense medical logistics. The authors identify significant knowledge gaps in understanding the impact of climate change on military health, highlighting the need for further research and investment in military medical research and development. The review points out that climate change may not only affect human physiology and mental health but also have implications for medical logistics, including the cold supply chain, medical devices, air conditioning, and fresh water supply.
Another significant aspect of disaster and emergency medicine is the management of patients in challenging environments. Two articles in this Research Topic address the intricacies of providing medical care during transportation. Post et al. discuss the treatment of intubated patients during aeromedical evacuation flights. Their study of German Air Force's humanitarian aid missions reveals no clinically significant deteriorations due to secondary transport. However, the authors emphasize the importance of elective intubation in borderline patients before flight, considering the hypobaric hypoxic conditions on board aircraft. Borgstedt et al. investigate factors affecting out-of-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes, emphasizing the crucial role of the chain of survival. Their retrospective study of emergency medical service (EMS) protocols in Munich, Germany, reveals that the location of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) does not significantly affect the return of spontaneous circulation incidence, although patients in public spaces have a higher chance of being admitted to the hospital with spontaneous circulation. The study also highlights the overall low levels of bystander CPR and bystander use of automated external defibrillators, emphasizing the importance of public education and training to improve the chain of survival...
Language: en |