Prehospital use of aspirin rarely is associated with adverse events.

INTRODUCTION: Aspirin is commonly administered for acute coronary syndromes in the prehospital setting. Few studies have addressed the incidence of adverse effects associated with prehospital administration of aspirin.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of adverse events following the administration of aspirin by prehospital personnel.

METHODS: Multi-center, retrospective, case series that involved all patients who received aspirin in the prehospital setting from (01 August 1999-31 January 2000). Patient encounter forms of the emergency medical services (EMS) of a metropolitan fire department were reviewed. All patients who had a potential cardiac syndrome (i.e., chest pain, dyspnea) as documented on the EMS forms were included in the review. Exclusion criteria included failure to meet inclusion criteria, and chest pain secondary to apparent non-cardiac causes (i.e., trauma). Hospital charts were reviewed from a subset of patients at the participating hospitals. The major outcome was an adverse event following prehospital administration of aspirin. This outcome was evaluated during the EMS encounter, at emergency department discharge, or at six and 24-hours post-aspirin ingestion. An adverse event secondary to aspirin ingestion was defined as anaphylaxis or allergic reactions, such as rash or respiratory changes.

RESULTS: A total of 25,600 EMS encounter forms were reviewed, yielding 2,399 patients with a potential cardiac syndrome. Prior to EMS arrival, 585 patients had received aspirin, and 893 were administered aspirin by EMS personnel. No patients had an adverse event during the EMS encounter. Of these patients, 229 were transported to participating hospitals and 219 medical records were available for review with no adverse reactions recorded during their hospital course.

CONCLUSION: Aspirin is rarely associated with adverse events when administered by prehospital personnel for presumed coronary syndromes.