Which prehospital treatment path is more efficacious for nausea and vomiting? by David, Josh, Keith, Marshall

Published on Tue, 09/11/2012 - 3:50pm

Should patients be receiving a normal saline bolus or an antiemetic in the prehospital setting?

This study evaluated two different treatment methods for nausea and vomiting in the prehospital setting. It was done in two different phases. The first phase patients were administered a normal saline fluid bolus. The second phase patients were administered ondansetron, an orally disintegrating tablet (ODT). This study showed that the administration of normal saline had no benefits, but the administration of ondansetron ODT decreased nausea and vomiting.

What is your EMS agency’s treatment protocol for a patient with nausea and vomiting? Does it involve an antiemetic, high-flow oxygen, or normal saline?

Article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22742574

Speakers: David Page, MS, NREMT-P, Joshua G. Salzman, MA, EMT-B, Keith Wesley, MD, FACEP, Marshall J. Washick, BAS, NREMT-P.