Implementation of a Titrated Oxygen Protocol in the Out-of-Hospital Setting

Abstract

AbstractOxygen is one of the most frequently-used therapeutic agents in medicine and the most commonly administered drug by prehospital personnel. There is increasing evidence of harm with too much supplemental oxygen in certain conditions, including stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), neonatal resuscitations, and in postresuscitation care. Recent guidelines published by the British Thoracic Society (BTS) advocate titrated oxygen therapy, but these guidelines have not been widely adapted in the out-of-hospital setting where high-flow oxygen is the standard. This report is a description of the implementation of a titrated oxygen protocol in a large urban-suburban Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system and a discussion of the practical application of this out-of-hospital protocol.BossonN,Gausche-HillM,KoenigW.Implementation of a titrated oxygen protocol in the out-of-hospital setting.Prehosp Disaster Med.2014;28(4):1-6.