Iowa Rural Outcomes Consortium (Iowa ROCS)

Mike Hartley of the University of Iowa Emergency Medical Services Learning Resource Center shared news of an important research initiative.

The National Institutes of Health is funding a grant to establish the Iowa Resuscitation Network, headed by Richard Kerber, M.D., Professor of Cardiology and Internal Medicine in the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine. Twelve emergency medical services throughout the state will be part of a new statewide resuscitation network, based at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics that will assess the effectiveness of new devices, drugs and strategies to treat serious trauma or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Over the five-year life of this grant, a series of clinical trials will be conducted with the intent to improve patient outcome from cardiac arrest and serious traumatic injury. Iowa is unique compared to the other ROC sites because of its rural population. At the forefront of resuscitation research, the Iowa Resuscitation Network will benefit Iowans by providing participating emergency medical services around the State of Iowa with funding, equipment, and specialized training.

On study under consideration is evaluation of Hypertonic Saline. “This is a proposal for two multicenter trials of hypertonic resuscitation in two populations of trauma patients to be conducted simultaneously using the same intervention and infrastructure. Study 1 seeks to determine the impact of hypertonic resuscitation on survival for blunt or penetrating trauma patients in hypovolemic shock. Study 2 seeks to determine the impact of hypertonic resuscitation on long term (6 month) neurologic outcome for blunt trauma patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Both studies will be three arm, randomized, blinded intervention trials comparing hypertonic saline/ dextran (7.5% saline/6% dextran 70, HSD), hypertonic saline alone (7.5% saline, HS), and normal saline (NS) as the initial resuscitation fluid administered to these patients in the prehospital setting.”

Learn more about Iowa ROCS