Emergency Medical Services Administration of Systemic Corticosteroids for Pediatric Asthma: A Statewide Study of Emergency Department Outcomes

Abstract

Background

For children with an asthma exacerbation, systemic corticosteroids (CS) administered in the emergency department (ED) decrease hospital admission rates and ED length‐of‐stay (LOS).^1‐4 Time‐dependent effects favor earlier CS administration, ideally within the first hour of ED arrival.^2,3 Only one pediatric study has examined if earlier, EMS administration of CS improves patient outcomes.⁵ That study found decreased hospital admission rates and ED LOS after adding dexamethasone to intravenous (IV) methylprednisolone as options for pediatric asthma. However, the study was of a single EMS agency and overall EMS CS use was low (<20%).⁵ To date, no large study has examined pediatric asthma outcomes after EMS treatment. This study's objective was to examine a statewide population of pediatric asthma patients to determine the effects of EMS administration of CS on ED outcomes.

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