Critical Care Paramedicine: A Case-Based Approach

David Anderson is the Medical Director of Ambulance Victoria, an Intensive Care Physician at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Paramedicine at Monash University. David worked as a paramedic in Auckland, New Zealand before completing medical training at the University of Auckland and then undertaking postgraduate training in intensive care medicine, anaesthesia, palliative medicine and prehospital and retrieval medicine in Auckland, Sydney and Toronto before settling in Melbourne. His clinical interests are prehospital and retrieval medicine, trauma critical care, ECMO, palliative care and bioethics.Ben Meadley is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University in the Department of Paramedicine. Ben has more than 25 years’ experience, gaining expertise in prehospital critical care, paramedic education, paramedic health research, search and rescue, human performance, systems improvement and clinical guideline development. Much of Ben’s experience is from working as an Intensive Care Flight Paramedic (MICA) at Ambulance Victoria. He divides his time between clinical, systems improvement and research roles.Alexander Olaussen is a Paramedic, Doctor and a Senior Lecturer at Monash University in the Department of Paramedicine. Alex has years of clinical and research experience, with expertise in bridging the pre-hospital and in-hospital environments in critical care. The majority of Alex’s experience is working as a rural emergency doctor and conducting research related to paramedicine. Alex holds a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and divides his time between clinical care, mentoring and fostering novice researchers and optimising educational strategies.

• Part 1 Airway1 Paramedic-led prehospital rapid sequence intubation (RSI)        David Anderson, Ben Meadley and Alex Olaussen                                                                                                  2 The physiologically difficult airway  00Jonathan Begley and Ben Meadley 3 The anatomically difficult airway     Jason Bendall and Matt Humar  Part 2 Breathing 4 Mechanical ventilation        Tim Byrne and Nick Roder  5 Respiratory Failure Daniel Cudini and Segun Olesanya  6 Critical Asthma David Anderson and Tatsu Kuwasaki    Part 3 Circulation  7 Undifferentiated shock      Andy Celestia and Todd Wollum 8 Myocardial infarction (STEMI)     Luke Dawson, Ross Salathiel and Dion Stub 9 The management of unstable bradycardiaAlan Cowley and Mark Durell 10 Palpitations and chest pain: Paramedic management of narrow complex tachycardiasAndrew Bishop 11 Broad complex tachycardia       Tim Edwards and Kieren Pugh 12 Acute chest pain and shortness of breath: Cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarctionJason Bloom and Dave Hawkins 13 Massive upper gastrointestinal bleed (UGIB) Sarah Yong and Michelle Murphy  14 Acute pulmonary oedema (APO)Nick Trestrail and Luke Hamilton  Part 4 Disability 15 Approach to an altered level of consciousness Luke De la Rue and Natalie Lavergne 16 Severe traumatic brain injury James Manktelow and Virginia Newcombe 17 Assessment and management of acute ischaemic stroke Skye Coote and Henry Zhao 18 Severe/Uncontrolled PainTodd Blackburn  Part 5 Exposure 19 HypothermiaEystein Grusd and Justin Hensley 20 Prehospital sepsis managementDan Cudini and Judit Orosz Part 6 Cardiac arrest 21 High-performance CPR Belinda Delardes, Jack Howard and Ziad Nehme  22 Refractory cardiac arrest and salvage extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) Matthew Thornton, Julia Coull and Sacha Richardson  23 Traumatic cardiac arrest  Zainab Alqudah and Brian Burns  24 Cardiac arrest in special circumstances Casey Lewis and Clare Bertenshaw 25 Termination of resuscitation Natalie Anderson  Part 7 Trauma 26 The trapped patient       Tash Adams 27 Shocked blunt trauma   Michael Noonan, Benjamin Meadley and Alexander Olaussen 28 Penetrating trauma    Kat Baird and Pete Sherren 29 Severe chest injury: Tension pneumothorax  Mark Fitzgerald and Toby St Clair  Part 8 Toxicology 30 Tricyclic antidepressant toxicity Ben Fitzgerald and Michael Mann 31 Acute behavioural disturbance: Emergency pharmacological sedationClaire Bertenshaw and Lachlan Parker 32 Severe Metabolic Acidosis   Tash Adams and John Glasheen  Part 9 Paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology 33 Croup and Epiglottitis Brad Gander and Claire Wilkin 34 Care of the newborn: Assisting transition, stabilisation and transportRosmarie Boland and James Yates  35 Maternal bleeding: Postpartum haemorrhage and active management of the third stage of labour Mark Durham and Dawn Kerslake Part 10: Special circumstances 36 The older patient David Anderson and Tegwyn McMannamy 37 Providing paramedic care in resource-limited settings     00Matt Cannon and Felix Ho

This resource is superbly written and presented, offering contextually relevant, contemporary and highly accessible learning in this rapidly evolving space within paramedicine. It's a must-read for anyone considering a career in critical care, already working in this space, or simply looking to enhance their critical thinking skills more broadly.A/Prof Gayle Christie, Consultant in Prehospital and Emergency Medicine and Medical Director St John Ambulance WA, Australia