Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support Studies

The Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support (OPALS) Studies were a series of multi-center before-and-after clinical trials looking at the impact of prehospital advanced life support services. The studies have not found the addition of advanced life support services to increase survival to hospital discharge for cardiac arrest patients.

Cardiac Arrest

• Phase 1, basic life support with defibrillation, January 1, 1991 to January 31, 1995^[1]
• Phase 2, optimized basic life support, July 1, 1994 to March 31, 1997^[2]
• Phase 3, addition of advanced life support, February 1, 1998 to June 30, 2002^[3]

References

1. ^ Stiell, IG; Wells, GA; Demaio, VJ; Spaite, DW; Field Bj, 3rd; Munkley, DP; Lyver, MB; Luinstra, LG et al. (1999). "Modifiable factors associated with improved cardiac arrest survival in a multicenter basic life support/defibrillation system: OPALS Study Phase I results. Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support". Annals of emergency medicine 33 (1): 44–50. doi:10.1016/S0196-0644(99)70415-4. PMID 9867885. 
2. ^ Stiell, IG; Wells, GA; Field, BJ; Spaite, DW; De Maio, VJ; Ward, R; Munkley, DP; Lyver, MB et al. (1999). "Improved out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival through the inexpensive optimization of an existing defibrillation program: OPALS study phase II. Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support". JAMA 281 (13): 1175–81. doi:10.1001/jama.281.13.1175. PMID 10199426. 
3. ^ Stiell, Ian G.; Wells, George A.; Field, Brian; Spaite, Daniel W.; Nesbitt, Lisa P.; De Maio, Valerie J.; Nichol, Graham; Cousineau, Donna et al. (2004). "Advanced Cardiac Life Support in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest". New England Journal of Medicine 351 (7): 647–656. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa040325. PMID 15306666. 

Further reading

• Stiell, I. G.; Nesbitt, L. P.; Pickett, W.; Munkley, D.; Spaite, D. W.; Banek, J.; Field, B.; Luinstra-Toohey, L. et al. (2008). "The OPALS Major Trauma Study: Impact of advanced life-support on survival and morbidity". Canadian Medical Association Journal 178 (9): 1141–1152. doi:10.1503/cmaj.071154. PMC 2292763. PMID 18427089. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2292763. 
• Stiell, IG; Wells, GA; Spaite, DW; Nichol, G; O'Brien, B; Munkley, DP; Field, BJ; Lyver, MB et al. (1999). "The Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support (OPALS) study Part II: Rationale and methodology for trauma and respiratory distress patients. OPALS Study Group". Annals of emergency medicine 34 (2): 256–62. doi:10.1016/S0196-0644(99)70241-6. PMID 10424933. 
• Stiell, Ian G.; Spaite, Daniel W.; Field, Brian; Nesbitt, Lisa P.; Munkley, Doug; Maloney, Justin; Dreyer, Jon; Toohey, Lorraine Luinstra et al. (2007). "Advanced Life Support for Out-of-Hospital Respiratory Distress". New England Journal of Medicine 356 (21): 2156–64. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa060334. PMID 17522399. 

External links

• OPALS Studies - Emergency Medicine Research - Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
• EMS Article: Is ALS Better than BLS in Trauma Care?
• Measuring the Benefits of ALS in Prehospital Respiratory Care
• Literature Review: Advanced Life Support for Major Trauma Patients