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This week on Health Watch, we're talking about emergency medicine — medical treatment that helps save lives when seconds count. We've been discussing a major initiative to study new treatments for critical medical situations. One aspect of the study is aimed at treating patients who've lost a lot of blood. Another targets patients having heart attacks.

Patients in cardiac arrest are treated with a breathing bag that sends air into the lungs, ensuring that oxygen gets into the system even when the patient has stopped breathing. The study will test a new valve that goes into the apparatus that's designed to increase blood flow to the chest during CPR, which then enhances the flow of blood to the heart and brain. Dr. Paul Pepe, chief of emergency medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, says lives will likely be saved during the study as patients have access to the latest in emergency medicine.

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July 2006

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