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Poor field differentiation of infant upper vs lower airway disease

Prehospital Assessment and Treatment of Infants and Toddlers in Respiratory Distress: A Retrospective Analysis
Prehospital Emergency Care · Added 27 July 2026

EMS clinicians documented similar primary impressions and administered many of the same treatments across both upper and lower airway groups, demonstrating minimal differentiation in prehospital management of young children.

Study type

Cohort

Design

Retrospective analysis of linked prehospital and ED records

Participants

1,352 children under 3 years (346 upper airway)

Main finding

'Acute respiratory distress' was the commonest EMS impression in both groups (60.4% upper, 50.0% lower); EtCO2 recorded in only 8%; treatments overlapped and often did not align with final ED diagnosis

Caveat

Retrospective US database; ED ICD-10 diagnoses may not reflect true pathology

Bottom line

Context only

Learning goal

Improve my assessment of infants in respiratory distress to better differentiate upper from lower airway disease.

More

• Topic: Paediatrics
• Daily scan: 27 July 2026

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