Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39627884›Full record

ArticleScandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine2024

The impact of a dedicated checklist on the quality of onsite management of critically buried avalanche victims in cardiac arrest in a Swiss helicopter emergency medical service.

Maxime Trolliet, Mathieu Pasquier, Marc Blancher, Roland Albrecht, Alban Lovis, Hermann Brugger, Alexandre Kottmann

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Emergency care for avalanche buried patients - a narrative review.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Maxime TrollietDepartment of Anesthesiology, EHNV, Hospital of Yverdon, Rue d'Entremonts 11, Yverdon-les-Bains, 1400, Switzerland.
Mathieu PasquierDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, CHUV, Rue du Bugnon 46, Lausanne, 1011, Switzerland.
Marc BlancherEmergency Department, University Hospital of Grenoble-Alpes and French Mountain Rescue Association ANMSM, Grenoble Cedex 09, 38043, France.
Roland AlbrechtSwiss Air Ambulance, Rega, P.O. Box 1414, Zurich, 8058, Switzerland.
Alban LovisDivision of Pulmonary Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, CHUV, Rue du Bugnon 46, Lausanne, 1011, Switzerland.
Hermann BruggerInstitute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, Eurac Research, Via Ipazia 2, Bolzano, 39100, Italy.
Alexandre KottmannDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, CHUV, Rue du Bugnon 46, Lausanne, 1011, Switzerland. alexandre.kottmann@rega.ch.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe management of avalanche victims in cardiac arrest (CA) is a challenging situation for rescuers. Despite existing specific management algorithms, previous studies have reported poor compliance with international guidelines and incomplete documentation and transmission of the information required for patient management. The Avalanche Victim Resuscitation Checklist (AVRC) was developed in 2014 in response by the International Commission for Mountain Emergency Medicine. Our aim was to assess the impact of the AVRC on the quality of onsite management of critically buried avalanche victims in CA, i.e. the compliance of management with international guidelines and the completeness of documentation of avalanche specific information.

methodsWe assessed compliance and documentation in a Swiss helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) between January 2010 and April 2020. Victims buried for more than 24 h were excluded.

resultsIn the 10-year study period, 87 critically buried avalanche victims in CA were treated by the HEMS, 44 of them after the introduction of the AVRC. Enough information was available to assess management compliance in over 90% of cases (n = 79). Inadequate management (n = 25, 32%) and incomplete documentation occurred more often in patients with a long burial duration. After the introduction of the AVRC, the compliance of patient management with the guidelines increased by 36% (from 59 to 95%, p < 0.05) and led to complete documentation of the required information for patient management.

conclusionsThe use of the AVRC improves the quality of management of critically buried avalanche victims in CA and ensures complete documentation of avalanche specific information. Quality improvement efforts should focus on the management of avalanche victims with a long burial duration. The use of the AVRC enables identification and appropriate treatment of patients with hypothermic cardiac arrest.

Indexed as

Air AmbulancesAvalanchesChecklistEmergency Medical ServicesCardiopulmonary ResuscitationFemaleGuideline AdherenceHeart ArrestHumansMaleOut-of-Hospital Cardiac ArrestRetrospective StudiesSwitzerlandAvalancheCardiac arrestChecklistComplianceDocumentationQuality

Identifiers

PMID39627884
PMCPMC11613841

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.