Anaphylaxis is overdiagnosed- by A&E (approx 1 in 3000 A&E attenders!?).
Adrenaline is a very potent and potentially dangerous drug, especially
in 57 year old westerners with clagged up coronaries.
BUT:
Anaphylaxis can be rapidly progressive and potentially fatal.
Adrenaline is life-saving.
I would hesitate to criticise pre-hosp colleagues wrestling with the
above risk-benefit equation in someone's front room. We weren't there.
They were, and faced with a lady with not just skin signs of widespread
histamine release, but a HR of 133, RR of 25 and lip swelling.
Certainly a quiet discussion regarding JRCALC / Resus council
guidelines for community adrenaline use, but in a supportive, warm,
friendly, fluffy, cuddly, pink and ever so slightly moist round-the-
edges kind of way. This has not been my experience of ambulance upper
echelons when crews tread on cracks in pavement. All too often rather
heavy-handed, even vindictive approach. I hope things have changed.
By the way Danny:
Whatever the de-humanised brigade think, beautiful poem.
I shall put lots of copies up in my department just to:
1) remind colleagues there is more to life than targets,
2) annoy the boss! ;-)
Goat
In message <20050212060656.IHRD1438.aamta06-winn.mailhost.ntl.com@[62.25
3.162.64]>, Danny McGeehan <[log in to unmask]> writes
>Patient has "urticaria all over" and some swelling of the lips. Pulse 133,
>> BP 157/83, RR 25, GCS 15, Sa O2 not recorded.
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