Is Air EMS Overutilized for Kids?

Tune in to the latest PEC Podcast! Editors Maia Dorsett and Joelle Denofrio-Odmann sit down with authors Dr. Vishal Naik and Dr. Sriram Ramgopal to unpack their compelling research, "Rapid Discharge Following Air Transport in Children".

This multicenter study, published in Prehospital Emergency Care, reveals that more than two-thirds (66.0%) of children transported to the Emergency Department (ED) by air EMS are either discharged directly from the ED (20.0%) or within 48 hours of admission. While air transport is crucial for critically ill children, these findings emphasize the need for additional research into the decision-making processes surrounding pediatric air EMS to support optimal resource utilization and patient care.

Dr. Naik and Dr. Ramgopal discuss key factors associated with rapid discharge, including lower triage acuity and certain diagnoses like musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases. Discover what this high rate of rapid discharge implies for potential over-triage in pediatric air medical transport systems.

Read the full article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10903127.2025.2531074?src=#abstract.

Naik, V., Bhardwaj, P., & Ramgopal, S. (2025). Rapid Discharge Following Air Transport in Children. Prehospital Emergency Care, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/10903127.2025.2531074 🔗 Read the article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10903127.2025.2531074?src=#abstract.

As always THANK YOU for listening.

Hawnwan Philip Moy MD (@pecpodcast)

Scott Goldberg MD, MPH (@EMS_Boston)

Jeremiah Escajeda MD, MPH (@jerescajeda)

Joelle Donofrio-Odmann DO (@PEMems)

Maia Dorsett MD PhD (@maiadorsett)

Lekshmi Kumar MD, MPH(@Gradymed1)

Greg Muller DO (@DrMuller_DO)

Ariana Weber MD (@aweberMD4)

Rebecca Cash PhD (@CashRebeccaE)

Michael Kim MD (@michaeljukim)

Rachel Stemerman PhD (@steminformatics)

Nikolai Arendovich MD

Welcome to the Prehospital Emergency Care Journal Podcast!

In this PEC Podcast Deep Dive, Rebecca Cash and Maia Dorsett interview Dr. Tony Fernandez about his recent PEC paper comparing initial prehospital adenosine doses of 6 mg versus 12 mg for presumed SVT. We explore the study's origins, dataset design, and results—including the finding that starting with 12 mg was associated with higher rates of cardioversion and fewer redoses without an increase in complications. Along the way, we discuss the quirks of EMS data, why some "standard" practices exist without strong evidence, and how retrospective studies fit into the bigger picture of protocol change.

For those whose interest in study methods was piqued, here's a great short primer on odds ratios versus relative risk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWtzaKYFg00&t=175s

Fernandez, A. R., Bourn, S. S., Duncan, D., Slovis, C. M., Crowe, R. P., Treichel, A., & Myers, J. B. (2025). Comparing Prehospital Adenosine Initial Dosing of 6 mg Versus 12 mg for Presumed Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT). Prehospital Emergency Care, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/10903127.2025.2504521 🔗 Read the article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10903127.2025.2504521

As always THANK YOU for listening.

Hawnwan Philip Moy MD (@pecpodcast)

Scott Goldberg MD, MPH (@EMS_Boston)

Jeremiah Escajeda MD, MPH (@jerescajeda)

Joelle Donofrio-Odmann DO (@PEMems)

Maia Dorsett MD PhD (@maiadorsett)

Lekshmi Kumar MD, MPH(@Gradymed1)

Greg Muller DO (@DrMuller_DO)

Ariana Weber MD (@aweberMD4)

Rebecca Cash PhD (@CashRebeccaE)

Michael Kim MD (@michaeljukim)

Rachel Stemerman PhD (@steminformatics)

Nikolai Arendovich MD

Welcome to the Prehospital Emergency Care Journal Podcast!

Today, we're tackling a critical and often deadly emergency seen at mass gatherings like music festivals: psychostimulant-induced hyperthermia (PIH). This condition carries high mortality rates, but what if early, aggressive intervention could dramatically improve outcomes?

Join us as we discuss the paper, "Physician Directed Prehospital Treatment in Psychostimulant Induced Hyperthermia: A Case Series," with one of its lead authors, Dr. Dorothy Habrat. Dr. Habrat will share insights into their physician-directed prehospital guideline, which integrates on-scene sedation, intubation, and rapid ice-water submersion for severe hyperthermia patients at electronic dance music festivals in San Bernardino County, California.

Discover how this innovative guideline, incorporating ice-water immersion before transport, offers a significant potential to decrease the mortality risk of PIH in the prehospital setting and achieve neurologically intact survival.

Habrat, D. A., Dukes, W. S., Neeki, M. M., & Schlesinger, S. A. (2025). Physician Directed Prehospital Treatment in Psychostimulant Induced Hyperthermia: A Case Series. Prehospital Emergency Care, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/10903127.2025.2508788 🔗 Read the article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10903127.2025.2508788

As always THANK YOU for listening.

Hawnwan Philip Moy MD (@pecpodcast)

Scott Goldberg MD, MPH (@EMS_Boston)

Jeremiah Escajeda MD, MPH (@jerescajeda)

Joelle Donofrio-Odmann DO (@PEMems)

Maia Dorsett MD PhD (@maiadorsett)

Lekshmi Kumar MD, MPH(@Gradymed1)

Greg Muller DO (@DrMuller_DO)

Ariana Weber MD (@aweberMD4)

Rebecca Cash PhD (@CashRebeccaE)

Michael Kim MD (@michaeljukim)

Rachel Stemerman PhD (@steminformatics)

Nikolai Arendovich MD

How well do EMS teams manage critically ill pediatric patients—and how do we know? In this special crossover episode with the EMS Educator Podcast, hosts Rob Lawrence and Maia Dorsett speak with Mark Cicero, lead author of a landmark study published in Prehospital Emergency Care. The study used simulation to assess EMS performance in pediatric emergencies.

From medication dosing errors to missed fundamentals like cap refill checks, Dr. Cicero breaks down what the study revealed across more than 150 simulations in three states. Dr. Dorsett shares how the findings challenged her own assumptions as an educator and led to reflections on curriculum design, quality improvement, and the need for deliberate, high-frequency pediatric practice.

Quality of Care and Opportunities for Improvement in Prehospital Care of Critically Ill Pediatric Patients, An Observational, Simulation-Based Study 🔗 Read the article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10903127.2025.2500715

As always THANK YOU for listening.

Hawnwan Philip Moy MD (@pecpodcast)

Scott Goldberg MD, MPH (@EMS_Boston)

Jeremiah Escajeda MD, MPH (@jerescajeda)

Joelle Donofrio-Odmann DO (@PEMems)

Maia Dorsett MD PhD (@maiadorsett)

Lekshmi Kumar MD, MPH(@Gradymed1)

Greg Muller DO (@DrMuller_DO)

Ariana Weber MD (@aweberMD4)

Rebecca Cash PhD (@CashRebeccaE)

Michael Kim MD (@michaeljukim)

Rachel Stemerman PhD (@steminformatics)

Nikolai Arendovich MD

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Amelia Breyre, the lead author of Multidisciplinary Lessons from Palliative Extubations at Home, to discuss the complexities and collaborative efforts involved in facilitating palliative extubations at home. Dr. Breyre shares insights from two remarkable cases, highlighting how multidisciplinary coordination between critical care, palliative care, EMS, and hospice teams made it possible for patients to return home for end-of-life care. This conversation offers important lessons for EMS clinicians and physicians committed to improving patient-centered care at the end of life.

Breyre, A. M., Grammatico, M., Policastro, A., Ingram, C. J., Prsic, E., Sussman, L. S., & Couturier, K. (2024). Multidisciplinary Lessons from Palliative Extubations at Home. *Prehospital Emergency Care*, 1-4. 🔗 Read the article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10903127.2024.2420198

EMS Care of Adult Hospice Patients – A Position Statement and Resource Document of NAEMSP and AAHPM 🔗 Access the document: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10903127.2023.2193978

As always THANK YOU for listening.

Hawnwan Philip Moy MD (@pecpodcast)

Scott Goldberg MD, MPH (@EMS_Boston)

Jeremiah Escajeda MD, MPH (@jerescajeda)

Joelle Donofrio-Odmann DO (@PEMems)

Maia Dorsett MD PhD (@maiadorsett)

Lekshmi Kumar MD, MPH(@Gradymed1)

Greg Muller DO (@DrMuller_DO)

Ariana Weber MD (@aweberMD4)

Rebecca Cash PhD (@CashRebeccaE)

Michael Kim MD (@michaeljukim)

Rachel Stemerman PhD (@steminformatics)

Nikolai Arendovich MD

Today, host Rachel Stemerman sits down with two authors of a groundbreaking paper: Ira Harmon and Jennifer Fishe. Their research tackles a significant challenge in emergency medical services: accurately identifying prehospital pediatric asthma exacerbations from complex EMS data.

Asthma exacerbations are a common reason for pediatric EMS encounters. Accurately identifying these encounters is crucial for research and quality improvement in prehospital care. However, the nature of asthma symptoms and EMS data makes this difficult.

In this episode, Ira and Jennifer will discuss their study, which focused on developing computable phenotypes (CPs) – reusable computer queries that identify specific clinical events using electronic data. They evaluated existing rule-based CPs and developed new ones, including machine learning-based models, using a large dataset of pediatric EMS encounters.

Tune in to learn more about this innovative approach to leveraging EMS data for better pediatric care.

As always THANK YOU for listening.

Hawnwan Philip Moy MD (@pecpodcast)

Scott Goldberg MD, MPH (@EMS_Boston)

Jeremiah Escajeda MD, MPH (@jerescajeda)

Joelle Donofrio-Odmann DO (@PEMems)

Maia Dorsett MD PhD (@maiadorsett)

Lekshmi Kumar MD, MPH(@Gradymed1)

Greg Muller DO (@DrMuller_DO)

Ariana Weber MD (@aweberMD4)

Rebecca Cash PhD (@CashRebeccaE)

Michael Kim MD (@michaeljukim)

Rachel Stemerman PhD (@steminformatics)

Nikolai Arendovich MD

Ready for the latest insights in prehospital care?

In this episode, we're diving into an eye opening question in emergency medicine: could giving just a single dose of epinephrine during cardiac arrest be more effective than the standard approach? This topic isn't just about changing a drug protocol—it challenges the way we think about resuscitation itself. We're spotlighting a new study that's sparking important conversations in the field, and it's part of a broader theme in the latest issue of Prehospital Emergency Care, which also features articles on pediatric emergencies, compelling case studies, and new insights into cardiac arrest care.

Join Niko and Michael as they speak with authors Dr. Tyler George and Dr. Nick Ashburn about their study - you don't want to miss it.

Check out PEC Podcast Episode 149 today! Available now on your favorite podcast platform.

As always THANK YOU for listening.

Hawnwan Philip Moy MD (@pecpodcast)

Scott Goldberg MD, MPH (@EMS_Boston)

Jeremiah Escajeda MD, MPH (@jerescajeda)

Joelle Donofrio-Odmann DO (@PEMems)

Maia Dorsett MD PhD (@maiadorsett)

Lekshmi Kumar MD, MPH(@Gradymed1)

Greg Muller DO (@DrMuller_DO)

Ariana Weber MD (@aweberMD4)

Rebecca Cash PhD (@CashRebeccaE)

Michael Kim MD (@michaelkim_md)

Rachel Stemerman PhD (@steminformatics)

Nikolai Arendovich MD

Ready for the latest insights in prehospital care?

Improving health and safety in our communities starts with a commitment to equity. We explore how systemic disparities in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) affect patient care, outcomes, and trust. Join our guests - Remle Crowe, Andra Farcas, and Ameera Haamid - as we unpack the National Association of EMS Physicians' recommendations for making equity a strategic priority, published in Prehospital Emergency Care Journal, Volume 28, Number 6.

Hear how EMS agencies can leverage improvement science, community engagement, and quality monitoring to ensure that all patients receive high-quality, respectful care—regardless of who they are or where they live. This is more than a conversation; it's a call to action.

Don't miss this important discussion.

Also available for CE Credit!

Check out PEC Podcast Episode 149 today! Available now on your favorite podcast platform.

As always THANK YOU for listening.

Hawnwan Philip Moy MD (@pecpodcast)

Scott Goldberg MD, MPH (@EMS_Boston)

Jeremiah Escajeda MD, MPH (@jerescajeda)

Joelle Donofrio-Odmann DO (@PEMems)

Maia Dorsett MD PhD (@maiadorsett)

Lekshmi Kumar MD, MPH(@Gradymed1)

Greg Muller DO (@DrMuller_DO)

Ariana Weber MD (@aweberMD4)

Rebecca Cash PhD (@CashRebeccaE)

Michael Kim MD (@michaelkim_md)

Rachel Stemerman PhD (@steminformatics)

Nikolai Arendovich MD

Ready for the latest insights in prehospital care?

The new Prehospital Emergency Care (PEC) Podcast, Episode 148 (Vol 28, Number 6), has dropped!

This episode explores vital findings published in the Prehospital Emergency Care Journal, Volume 28, Number 3. We're tackling essential themes for every prehospital clinician: Fluids, Vascular Access, and Resuscitation Strategies.

Get the breakdown on significant research, such as the study "Retrospective Comparison of Upper and Lower Extremity Intraosseous Access During Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation" authored by Tanner Smida, Remle Crowe, Jeffrey Jarvis, Taylor Ratcliff, and Mat Goebel. Learn about the nuances of IO access in OHCA!

Don't miss this important discussion.

Check out PEC Podcast Episode 148 today! Available now on your favorite podcast platform.

As always THANK YOU for listening.

Hawnwan Philip Moy MD (@pecpodcast)

Scott Goldberg MD, MPH (@EMS_Boston)

Jeremiah Escajeda MD, MPH (@jerescajeda)

Joelle Donofrio-Odmann DO (@PEMems)

Maia Dorsett MD PhD (@maiadorsett)

Lekshmi Kumar MD, MPH(@Gradymed1)

Greg Muller DO (@DrMuller_DO)

Ariana Weber MD (@aweberMD4)

Rebecca Cash PhD (@CashRebeccaE)

Michael Kim MD (@michaelkim_md)

Rachel Stemerman PhD (@steminformatics)

Nikolai Arendovich MD

Title: Remembering Freedom House: A Legacy in EMS

Join us for a special episode of the Prehospital Emergency Care (PEC) Podcast as we delve into the rich history and enduring legacy of Freedom House. In alignment with our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, we're honored to welcome two distinguished guests: Chief John Moon from Freedom House and Dr. Ameera Hamid, EMS physician at the University of Chicago.

Chief John Moon

Dr. Ameera Haamid

In this powerful conversation, we'll take a nostalgic journey back to the origins of Freedom House, exploring its groundbreaking contributions to the world of Emergency Medical Services. Chief Moon and Dr. Hamid will share their personal insights and reflections, highlighting the pivotal role Freedom House played in shaping modern EMS.

This episode is more than just a history lesson; it's a tribute to the pioneers who broke barriers and paved the way for a more inclusive and equitable EMS system. Listen as we celebrate the remarkable story of Freedom House and its lasting impact on prehospital care.

Key Topics:

• The historical significance of Freedom House.
• Personal stories and reflections from Chief John Moon and Dr. Ameera Hamid.
• Freedom House's impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion in EMS.
• The enduring legacy of Freedom House in modern prehospital care.

Listen Now: https://traffic.libsyn.com/pecpodcast/Ep._147_Chief_Moon_Dr._Haamid.mp3

Learn More:

• Achieving Equity in EMS Care and Patient Outcomes Through Quality Management Systems: A Position Statement
• American Sirens (Chief Moon's book)

As always THANK YOU for listening.

Hawnwan Philip Moy MD (@pecpodcast)

Scott Goldberg MD, MPH (@EMS_Boston)

Jeremiah Escajeda MD, MPH (@jerescajeda)

Joelle Donofrio-Odmann DO (@PEMems)

Maia Dorsett MD PhD (@maiadorsett)

Lekshmi Kumar MD, MPH(@Gradymed1)

Greg Muller DO (@DrMuller_DO)

Ariana Weber MD (@aweberMD4)

Rebecca Cash PhD (@CashRebeccaE)

Michael Kim MD (@michaelkim_md)

Rachel Stemerman PhD (@steminformatics)

Nikolai Arendovich MD