Student study notes from paramedic coursework (2023 to 2024), not medical advice. Verify clinical values against current references and your local protocols.
| EMS etiologies | Setting: ER |
Inadequate gas exchange due to conditions like COPD, asthma, pneumonia, or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is an acute, diffuse, and inflammatory lung injury characterized by severe hypoxemia and bilateral lung infiltrates that are non-cardiogenic in origin. It typically arises within seven days of an inciting event such as infection, trauma, or sepsis.
The causes of ARDS can be divided into pulmonary and extrapulmonary origins:
These causes trigger an inflammatory cascade that leads to diffuse alveolar damage and capillary endothelial injury, which results in increased pulmonary vascular permeability, alveolar edema, and impaired oxygen exchange. Risk factors include advanced age, smoking, alcohol use, cardiovascular surgery, traumatic brain injury, and infectious pneumonia.
Treatment primarily involves mechanical ventilation with protective lung strategies, oxygen therapy, and supportive care. Mortality rates are high, particularly in severe cases.