epic.arizona.eduExcellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) | Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care - Traumatic Bra

Skip to main content Home About Us EPIC Project Team Mission Agencies Participant Map In the News Contact Us Training Publications EPIC Publications Association of Statewide Implementation of the Prehospital Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Guidelines With Patient Survival Following Traumatic Brain Injury Published in JAMA Surgery, May 8, 2019. Association of Out-of-Hospital Hypotension Depth and Duration With Traumatic Brain Injury Mortality Published in Annals of Emergency Medicine, October 2017 ...see all publications In the News Medscape Interview: Avoiding the 'H Bombs' in Traumatic Brain Injury Forbes: Three Simple Interventions Increase Survival After A Severe Head Injury, Study Finds SAEMS: EPIC-TBI Study Results Medscape: 'Quantum Leap' in Severe Head Injury Survival With EMSProtocol Imperial Valley News: Emergency treatment guidelines improve survival of people with severe head injury KGUN9-TV: New treatment helps with traumatic brain injury FireRescue1: New method to treat brain injuries could save thousands of lives a year ...see all News EPIC for... Adults Kids Join our Mailing List * indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name Search form Search Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) Announcing the Main EPIC Results: Click to read/download the full JAMA paper. Brief Summary of the Results Background : The EPIC Project is a massive, NIH-funded, statewide effort involving The University of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Health Services, and over 130 fire departments, EMS agencies, and emergency medical helicopter agencies. In this public health initiative, the state-of-the-art prehospital Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) treatment was implemented in the EMS systems across Arizona. As part of the implementation, the program trained over 11,000 paramedics and EMTs. Objective : To evaluate the effect of implementing the evidence-based guidelines on outcomes in moderate, severe, and critical TBI. These guidelines emphasize avoidance/treatment of hypoxia (low blood oxygen level), prevention/correction of hyperventilation (breathing too fast/deep in patients who require assistance with their ventilation), and avoidance/treatment of hypotension (low blood pressure/shock). Results : 21,852 patients were included in the effort. Among the patients with severe TBI [70% (15,147/21,681) of the entire study population and 76% (4970/6581) of the post-implementation cohort], adjusted survival to hospital discharge doubled statewide after implementation [adjusted odds ratio = 2.03 (1.52-2.72; p<0.0001)]. Among the severe patients who were intubated (required assistance with airway/ventilation), adjusted survival tripled [aOR = 3.14 (1.65-5.98; p=0.0005)]. Conclusions and Implications : EPIC is the first large-scale evaluation of the impact of the prehospital TBI Treatment Guidelines conducted anywhere in the world. It was accomplished through a unique partnership between The University of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Health Services, and more than 130 EMS agencies. In this statewide effort, the improvements in treatment were associated with dramatic improvement in survival among victims of severe TBI. These findings have significant implications for the prehospital treatment of severe TBI, worldwide, and support widespread implementation of the TBI guidelines. 480210 reads Agency Partners Affiliate Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center ~ University of Arizona – Medical Campus ~ Building 4, 714 E. Van Buren St. Phoenix, AZ 85006 All contents ©2011 - 2015 Arizona Board of Regents. All rights reserved. The University of Arizona is an EEO/AA - M/W/D/V Employer Privacy Information...