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An adult with acute asthma can only say a few words per breath, is using accessory muscles and has SpO2 93% on room air. Severity and first step?

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Did you know?

No one has died from a funnel-web bite since 1981

Thirteen deaths have been recorded from Australian funnel-web spiders, most of them blamed on the male Sydney funnel-web. Then an antivenom arrived in 1981, and there have been no recorded deaths since. The venom used to make it is milked from live spiders. In 2025 researchers split the Sydney funnel-web into three separate species.

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After adrenaline: watch for 4 hours

Observe for at least 4 hours after the last adrenaline dose — reactions can relapse or come back. Biphasic reactions follow 3–20% of episodes, within 48 hours. Keep patients overnight if the reaction was severe or refractory, or if they live alone, are remote from care or presented late in the evening.

ASCIA Acute Management of Anaphylaxis (2026): Actions after adrenaline
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An older person develops confusion over hours, with symptoms varying during the day. Which diagnosis best fits?

@scrollmed_auEmergency

healthdirect: Delirium
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Trauma's neglected-disease report

A landmark 1966 US report framed accidental death and disability as a neglected disease of modern society. Its criticism of emergency care helped focus national attention on trauma systems.

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Flying ambulances stayed on the ground

Larrey's Napoleonic-era "flying ambulances" were horse-drawn wagons, not aircraft. Fast-moving artillery inspired a system designed to reach wounded soldiers and transport them rapidly.

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An adult is in PEA arrest. When should adrenaline first be administered?

@scrollmed_auEmergency

ANZCOR Guideline 11.2: Adult ALS
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Undertakers once ran ambulances

By 1960, some US ambulance services were operated by undertakers. Emergency transport was a patchwork also involving hospitals, fire departments and volunteers, with widely varying staff training.

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@scrollmed_auEmergency

ANZCOR Guideline 6: Compressions
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What first aid cooling is recommended for a thermal burn?

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In the trauma primary survey written as cABCDE, what does the small 'c' at the start stand for?

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Which paracetamol exposure should NOT be assessed using the treatment nomogram?

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Ambulance standards were once scarce

In 1960, only four US states regulated ambulance design specifications, according to a historical review. Only six had standard training courses for rescuers.

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Triage challenged military rank

Battlefield surgeon Dominique-Jean Larrey prioritised wounded soldiers by injury severity rather than military rank. He also treated enemy casualties—a striking early expression of needs-based emergency care.

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What chest compression rate does ANZCOR recommend across all ages?

@scrollmed_auEmergency

ANZCOR Guideline 6: Compressions
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After heat exposure, a person becomes confused and collapses. What is the best response?

@scrollmed_auEmergency

healthdirect: Heatstroke
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Which combination defines the biochemical pattern of paediatric DKA?

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What compression depth should rescuers aim for in a child?

@scrollmed_auEmergency

ANZCOR Guideline 6: Compressions
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Blood cultures are difficult to obtain in suspected sepsis. What should happen to antibiotic treatment?

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An older adult has new confusion and reduced intake but no fever. Which interpretation is safest?

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Mouth-to-mouth needed proving

Mouth-to-mouth ventilation was not always the accepted approach. A historical review identifies 1958 as the year its superiority was demonstrated after centuries of competing artificial-respiration methods.

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Defibrillation first went inside

Successful human defibrillation was performed internally in 1947, before external human defibrillation in 1956. The familiar through-the-chest approach came later.

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Road safety helped reshape EMS

The US Highway Safety Act of 1966 helped drive emergency medical services reform. Federal involvement extended beyond roads to ambulance specifications, equipment and emergency-care planning.

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What is the purpose of pressure immobilisation after an Australian snakebite?

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What establishes the need for snake antivenom in a child?

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@scrollmed_auEmergency

healthdirect: Jellyfish stings
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Which pair of cardiac arrest rhythms is shockable?

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ANZCOR Guideline 11.2: Adult ALS
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In adult VF/pulseless VT arrest, when is the first adrenaline given under the ANZCOR algorithm?

@scrollmed_auEmergency

ANZCOR Guideline 11.2: Adult ALS
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A conscious person has inhaled food but can cough effectively. What is the best initial response?

@scrollmed_auEmergency

ANZCOR Guideline 4: Airway
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Closed-chest CPR was a turning point

Open-chest cardiac massage once dominated resuscitation. A 1960 demonstration showed that closed-chest massage could be equally effective and easier to perform—a key turning point towards modern CPR.

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A child did not lose consciousness after a head injury. What does this establish?

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After safe rescue, a drowning patient is unresponsive and not breathing normally. Which approach is recommended?

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Ventilation experiments predate CPR

Artificial respiration has roots in Vesalius's experiments on living animals during the 16th century. Ventilation research therefore preceded the modern combination of rescue breathing, compressions and defibrillation by centuries.

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@scrollmed_auEmergency

ANZCOR Guideline 4: Airway
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Which symptom cluster can signal a heart attack even without prominent chest pain?

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An ambulance carrying an operating kit

Larrey's ambulance system carried more than patients: it included food, water, bandages and the means to perform surgery at the scene. Bringing treatment forward was part of the design.

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ScrollMed summaries, written in our own words from eTG, ASCIA, the Australian Asthma Handbook and other trusted Australian guidelines, plus "Did you know?" facts from journals and official bodies. Tap the source on any post to read the original. Always check the current guideline and local protocols before clinical use.