Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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To evaluate prehospital and receiving emergency department (ED) analgesia administration in air-transported patients with isolated fractures. ⋯ Some patients receiving intratransport fentanyl received no ED analgesia, and those who did receive ED analgesia often had administration delays surpassing the clinical half-life of intratransport-administered fentanyl. Further study should investigate whether setting-specific analgesia practice differences reflect true differences in analgesia needs, overmedication by prehospital providers, or undermedication by ED staff.
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To determine the rate of unnecessary intravenous (IV) access in the emergency setting. ⋯ A significant percentage of IVs initiated in the emergency setting are used inappropriately. IV access without treatment in the field did not improve elapsed time to treatment once patients arrived to the ED. In an era of diminishing health care budgets, further study and strict examination of the cost-benefit ratio ensure maximal utilization of emergent IV access.