Pulmonary edema in the prehospital setting: the importance of early treatment

Patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema require rapid assessment and therapy to prevent progression to respiratory failure and cardiovascular collapse. Lisbon city has emergency medical teams that respond to situations where the life of the patient is at risk and whose goal is to begin treatment if indicated and assure transport to the hospital in the best conditions possible. We studied the intervention of one of these teams on patients with acute pulmonary edema.