Rethinking ETI: Should paramedics continue to intubate?

摘要

On a cool fall evening, an ambulance and engine company are dispatched to assist a 44-year-old male who is having difficulty breathing. The dispatcher reports that the patient has a history of asthma. The ambulance is staffed by an EMT and a paramedic, and all members of the engine company are EMTs. On arrival, they find the patient seated on a couch in the living room with a nebulizer treatment under way. The crew immediately realizes that the patient is extremely fatigued and respiratory failure is imminent.