As a kid growing up in Fort Worth, Texas I had little interest in ambulances or medicine. I do remember one thing about the ambulances in the late 1960s in that they always had signs on the side that stated “oxygen equipped” in big letters.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), in partnership with the NHTSA Office of EMS, has released draft questions that will guide a subsequent review related to prehospital airway management.
Once you’ve decided to use CPAP, and convinced your patient to cooperate, you’ll need to monitor the effectiveness of CPAP. It may be necessary to adjust your CPAP pressure, resolve significant mask leaks, reassure your patient or progress to assisted ventilation when CPAP fails.
The art of selling CPAP to a patient can make or break chances for success.
Although the device still works as designed, is still in service and being used by well-intentioned clinicians, it should be on the shelf with the Medical Anti-Shock Trousers, LifePak 5 and Biophone. While change is sometimes slow, and healthcare providers can be described as conservatively fixed, lung protective ventilation is the current standard of care.
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