Knowledge of and attitudes to emergency tachyarrhythmia treatment among paramedics and nurses

Abstract

IntroductIon: Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a wide term used to describe tachycardia with atrial and/or ventricular rates exceeding 100 bpm at rest. The underlying mechanism involves His bundle or tissue lying above. As the diagnosis of SVT is often made in the prehospital settings or in an emergency department, the relevant knowledge of all medical personnel, including paramedics, on the diagnosis and treatment procedures is crucial for the patient's outcome. It is essential to quickly assess the patient's clinical condition and make decisions based on both electrocardiographic records and the occurrence of adverse symptoms. Some procedures and pharmacological treatments can be implemented by the paramedic on their own, some require a physician's supervision. The aim of the study was to assess paramedics' and nurses' knowledge concerning emergency management in tachycardia. MethodS: The study was conducted in January 2019 in southwestern Poland among paramedics and nurses working in the Polish National Emergency Medical System (EMS). All participants received information on the study objectives and voluntarily took part in the questionnaire survey. The questionnaire was developed by the authors and included 22 questions referring to gender, age, work experience, type of work in EMS, number of inhabitants in the workplace area, latest training in advanced life support, adverse events in hemodynamically unstable patients, vagal manoeuvres, European Resuscitation Council 2015 guidelines for narrow and broad complex tachycardia in stable and unstable patients with regular and irregular rhythms, indications for synchronized electrical cardioversion, performing synchronized electrical cardioversion in the past, concerns about cardioversion and self-assessed level of experience in tachyarrhythmia treatment.