Fixed-Dose Ketamine 250mg IM for Prehospital Agitation
Spoon Feed
A retrospective study of 60 patients who received a fixed-dose ketamine of 250 mg by EMS observed that 6 were intubated in the ED. There was no association between weight-based dose of ketamine and risk for intubation.
Source
Fixed dose ketamine for prehospital management of hyperactive delirium with severe agitation. Am J Emerg Med. Published online April 9, 2024. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2024.04.011
IO for OHCA – Humeral Head or Tibia?
Spoon Feed
In subgroup analysis, there may be more successful ROSC in patients with upper extremity IO access compared to lower extremity access in OHCA, but these results should be adopted with caution.
Source
Retrospective Comparison of Upper and Lower Extremity Intraosseous Access During Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2024 Mar 26:1-8. doi: 10.1080/10903127.2024.2321285. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38416867.
Pediatric EMS VS Ranges to Predict Life-Saving Intervention
Spoon Feed
Kids frequently present with abnormal vital signs but seldom require prehospital life-saving interventions (LSI). Based on the occurrence of LSI, age-group vital sign ranges were adjusted to better identify critically ill kids. Abnormal respiratory status (RR, SpO2) was strongly associated with prehospital LSI.
EMS Vital Signs as Mortality Predictors
Spoon Feed
Low and high extremes of prehospital vital signs were associated with higher rates of hospitalization and in-hospital mortality; however, there was not statistically significant improvement in their model when using age adjusted vital signs.
Correlation of vital sign centiles with in-hospital outcomes among adults encountered by emergency medical services. Acad Emerg Med. 2024 Mar;31(3):210-219. doi: 10.1111/acem.14821. Epub 2023 Nov 3. PMID: 37845192.
The Top Cardiac Arrest RCTs of 2023
Spoon Feed
This review article discusses four randomized clinical trials (RCT) focusing on interventions for out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrest (OHCA) that were published in 2023, all of which showed negligible impact on survival for the interventions studied.
Epinephrine or Airway First in OHCA?
Spoon Feed
In adults presenting to EMS after OHCA, those receiving epinephrine prior to advanced airway management (AAM = supraglottic airway, SGA, or endotracheal tube) experienced better outcomes and prehospital ROSC than those receiving AAM before epinephrine. This was true for both shockable and non-shockable initial rhythms.
Source
Sequence of Epinephrine and Advanced Airway Placement After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Feb 5;7(2):e2356863. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.56863.
Ketamine vs Etomidate in TBI – Prehospital Version
Spoon Feed
Patients with TBI who were intubated in the prehospital setting had no difference in 30-day mortality when comparing induction with ketamine versus etomidate.
Source
Etomidate versus Ketamine as prehospital induction agent in patients with suspected severe traumatic brain injury. Anesthesiology. 2024. Jan 8. Doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000004894. Online ahead of print.
Guidelines for Prehospital Airway Management
Spoon Feed
A panel of experts appraising a systematic review on prehospital airway management created 22 recommendations relating to ventilation (BVM vs SGA vs ETI), video laryngoscopy (VL), and drug-assisted airway management.
Source
Evidence-Based Guideline for Prehospital Airway Management. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2023. Dec 22. Doi: 10.1080/10903127.2023.2281363. Online ahead of print.
Bigger Bag, Higher ROSC? Impact of BVM Size on OHCA
Spoon Feed
Tidal volume (TV) delivered is hard to control during cardiac arrest, and evidence has shown that over-ventilation can be detrimental in physiological parameters integral to cardiac arrest survival. Small bags were thus integrated into a single EMS system to help combat over-ventilation. Paradoxically, large bags had a greater likelihood of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in out of hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA).
Source
Association of small adult ventilation bags with return of spontaneous circulation in out of hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. 2023 Dec:193:109991. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2023.109991. Epub 2023 Oct 5.
Good Bagging in CPR Saves Lives?
Spoon Feed
For the majority of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients undergoing standard (30:2 compressions:breaths) cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) prior to definitive airway placement, bag-valve mask (BVM) ventilations did not achieve adequate lung volumes most of the time. Receiving adequate BVM ventilations >50% of the time was associated with significantly higher rates of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival.
Source
Bag-Valve-Mask Ventilation and Survival from Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Multicenter Study. Circulation. 2023 Nov 12. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.065561. Epub ahead of print.