Tag Archives: drugs

Intraosseous hypertonic saline is probably safe

A previous study on swine with uncontrolled haemorrhagic shock who were given intraosseous (IO) hypertonic saline demonstrated a high rate of complications such as soft tissue necrosis and venous thrombosis(1). This led to a recommendation of caution in patients requiring … Continue reading

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Delivering salbutamol to an intubated prehospital patient

Chris “Willko” Wilkinson (SCAT paramedic) shared this handy trick of the trade during a recent simulation session. Scenario Road primary job to a school where a 6 year old girl is in severe respiratory distress with known asthma. On arrival … Continue reading

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Ketamine update

Anaesthetist Dr Jan Persson from Stockholm has published an updated review of recent ketamine literature. The following interesting facts about our favourite drug are extracted from Dr Persson’s paper: Action on multiple receptors earns it the nickname: ‘the nightmare of … Continue reading

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Taming the Ketamine Tiger

A paper of great interest for those of us who spend a lot of time teaching the use of ketamine describes its history from initial synthesis in the early 1960s. Ketamine pioneer Edward F. Domino, M.D describes how it was … Continue reading

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Stopping infusions before PCI transfer

An interhospital transport service introduced a no infusions policy for patients being transferred for primary coronary intervention, instead giving a bolus of heparin and glycoprotein 2b-3a inhibitor prior to transfer, along with non-intravenous nitrates (if needed). Discontinuing infusions during transport resulted … Continue reading

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Standard medication kit for prehospital and retrieval physicians

A very comprehensive (hence the title of the paper) review of medications required for pre-hospital & retrieval medicine missions was undertaken, resulting in recommendations. While the casemix seen by various services may be influenced by local geography or tasking restrictions, … Continue reading

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