McMaster Textbook of Internal Medicine

McMaster Textbook of Internal Medicine
Interviews
ICU & Emergencies
Diagnosis and treatment of stroke and MI by EMS in Germany

Diagnosis and treatment of stroke and MI by EMS in Germany

2018-01-24

Bernd W. Böttiger

How is stroke and myocardial infarction diagnosed and treated by the emergency medical services in Germany?

Bernd W. Böttiger: Stroke and acute myocardial infarction in many cases are diagnosed by the typical symptoms for stroke and acute myocardial infarction. The usual treatment is to bring the patient as fast as possible to a center where this kind of entity can be treated very successfully and on a very professional level. In some cases it is helpful to adapt the blood pressure, at least to measure the blood pressure to adapt the oxygen concentration. If it is too low, it is probably useful to administer some oxygen but not in all patients, because we know too much oxygen is also too much in some cases. We recommend oxygen saturation in the peripheral blood between 94% and 98%.

See also

EMS approaching a patient with a suspected TIA What should the emergency medical services focus on when approaching a patient with suspected transient ischemic attack (TIA)?
Recruitment maneuvers and high PEEP during mechanical ventilation in ARDS What is the role of recruitment maneuvers and high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP; “open lung strategy”) during mechanical ventilation in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome?
Suspected stroke and high blood pressure in patients transported by EMS A patient with suspected stroke transported by the emergency medical services is expected to have high blood pressure. What is the threshold value that warrants attempts to lower blood pressure by the ambulance crew?
Use of nitroglycerin in patients with suspected ACS by EMS Should nitroglycerin still be used by the emergency medical services in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome?
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care: key messages from new guidelines A lecture by Prof. Bernd W. Böttiger, from University Hospital Cologne, Germany, delivered at McMaster International Review Course in Internal Medicine in Kraków in May 2016.

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