• Gregory A Peters, Rebecca E Cash, Scott A Goldberg, Alexander J Ordoobadi, and Carlos A Camargo.
• Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA; Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.
• Ann Emerg Med. 2023 Jun 1; 81 (6): 679690679-690.

Study ObjectiveTo describe the demographic, clinical, and emergency medical service (EMS) response characteristics associated with EMS activations for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations in the US.MethodsUsing a nationwide set of out-of-hospital patient care report data from 2018 to 2019, we analyzed 9-1-1 EMS activations where asthma/COPD exacerbation was indicated by symptom, impression, or treatment provided. We excluded patients with ages less than 2 years or unknown, nonemergency transports, and encounters with any indication of anaphylaxis. Demographic, clinical, and EMS response characteristics were described for pediatric and adult patients with asthma/COPD exacerbations.ResultsA total of 1,336,988 asthma/COPD exacerbations were included, comprising 5% of qualifying 9-1-1 scene activations from 2018 to 2019. Most patients were adults (96%). Most adult patients were female (55%), whereas most pediatric patients were male (58%). Most activations occurred in urban settings (82%), particularly in pediatric patients (90%). Most asthma/COPD exacerbations were managed by advanced life support units (94%). Inhaled bronchodilators and systemic corticosteroid therapy were administered to 75% and 14% of all patients, respectively. Adults more often had oxygen saturation <92% (43% vs 20% of pediatric patients) and were more often treated with assisted ventilation (9% vs 1%).ConclusionIn this large nationwide sample of 9-1-1 activations treated and transported by EMS, 5% were for asthma/COPD exacerbation. Future work should focus on evidence-based standardization of EMS protocols and practice for asthma/COPD exacerbations to improve the quality of EMS care.Copyright © 2022 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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