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‘From oxygen to ketamine’: Why dosing matters, regardless of drug type

Are you an expert on the chemical restraint drugs available to you in the field? You should be.

“We’ve got to be on top of our game when it comes to clinical dosing of medications, from oxygen to ketamine.”

This week, Inside EMS cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson dive into an article by Joshua Davies on the use of chemical restraints in the field. They discuss the pros and cons of different medications, including a lively discussion on the use of versed and why ketamine is a good drug … when dosed and used properly.

Top quotes

  • “You should have a fairly extensive formulary of antipsychotic and sedative agents available to you.”
  • “We need to stop worrying about what we’re seeing in the news and train our providers.”
  • “We really have to be able to give our medical director confidence that whatever is in the protocol and whatever they want to give us in the protocol, we have the competency to do that work and do that skill.”
In the right patient, with a solid understanding of the pharmacology and a plan to address potential side effects, ketamine can be an incredibly useful tool for EMS

This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.

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The Inside EMS podcast is a regular expert discussion of hot topics, clinical issues, operational and leadership lessons for EMTs, paramedics and chiefs