Paramedic PapersTopic
Respiratory research
4 recent papers on respiratory in paramedic and prehospital care, newest first. Each has a plain-English summary, the study design, the main finding and caveat, and what it means for Australian practice.
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Camera-based breathing rate in moving ambulances
Japanese researchers built a contact-free respiratory-rate monitor using RGB and thermal cameras that worked inside a moving ambulance, with errors of 0.59–4.38 breaths/min depending on posture and respiratory pattern.
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HFNO reduces intubation vs conventional oxygen
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 RCTs (1,955 patients) comparing high-flow nasal oxygen with conventional oxygen and NIV for acute respiratory failure in the ED — HFNO reduced intubation versus conventional oxygen (RR 0.61) but not versus NIV, with no clear benefit over either in COPD or acute heart failure.
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Poor agreement on radiological tension features
Interpretation for radiological tension features had poor inter‐rater reliability, which seriously changes their appropriateness as drivers for interventional management.
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One dose dexamethasone enough for paediatric asthma
Nearly two-thirds of children with asthma exacerbations were treated with 2 doses of dexamethasone rather than a single dose, even though treatment with 2 doses was not associated with improved outcomes.