title: Prehospital pearls, pitfalls, and updates.
abstract: The rapid proliferation of emergency medical services in the United States has led to numerous controversies concerning delivery, interventions, and efficacy. This article presents a brief overview of the important literature in this expanding field. Important clinical topics, including first-responder defibrillation, rapid sequence intubation, and airway management, are reviewed. In addition, several important medicolegal topics pertaining to pre-hospital care are analyzed.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Ossmann
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Bartkus
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Olinger
mesh_terms: D000552:Ambulances; D003479:Curriculum; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D010360:Patient Transfer; D012151:Resuscitation; D016312:Treatment Refusal; D014481:United States