This is the first of a new series of Roadside to Resus podcasts. We've been joined by James Yates, a Critical Care Paramedic with the Great Western Air Ambulance to make it a truly multidisciplinary team.

Each monthly episode we'll be discussing acute presentations, including the latest and most influential evidence base surrounding them. We really want  to break down some barriers between pre-hospital and in hospital teams and it soon becomes evident in this first podcast that many of the problems we face are shared throughout the patient journey and across disciplines!

We're starting off with Acute Heart Failure and in the podcast we run through;

• The underlying physiology and help explain the different problems we may find in each subset
• The keys to diagnosis, including the most predictive parts of history and examination
• We discuss the evidence base for treatment and the trends of use both pre and in-hospital
• We talk about CPAP and whether the evidence supports it's use
• Finally, the direction that further treatment in the UK may move

Once again we hope you find the podcast useful. Get in touch with any comments, questions or suggestions for further topics. Most of all don't take our word for it, but make sure you delve into the references yourself and make up your own mind.

Enjoy!

Simon, Rob & James

References & Further Reading

Recommendations on pre-hospital & early hospital management of acute heart failure: a consensus paper from the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology, the European Society of Emergency Medicine and the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine

Understanding cardiac output. Jean-Louis Vincent. Crit Care. 2008.

2016 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure

The pathophysiology of hypertensive acute heart failure. Viau DM. Heart. 2015

Meta-analysis: Noninvasive Ventilation in Acute Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema. Weng. Annals Int Med. 2010 

Does This Dyspneic Patient in the Emergency Department Have Congestive Heart Failure? Charlie S.JAMA 2005

Diagnosing Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Department; A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Martindale. Academic Emergency Medicine. 2016

Noninvasive ventilation in acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Gray A. N Engl J Med. 2008

Life in the Fast Lane; severe heart failure management

Emergency Medicine Cases; acute congestive heart failure

REBEL.EM; morphine kills in acute decompensated heart failure 

EMCRIT 1; Sympathetic Crashing Acute Pulmonary Edema (SCAPE)