Author Kevin Wetherbee, AAS/EMS, NRP, FP-C

About Kevin Wetherbee, AAS/EMS, NRP, FP-C

Kevin Wetherbee, AS, NRP, EMS-I, began his EMS career right out of high school in upstate New York in 1984. He became a paramedic in 1986 and has worked in some form of EMS system since that time. He has experience in 911, non-emergent transport, emergency room care, inter-facility transport, critical care transport and industrial EMS. He currently instructs for DistanceCME, is a critical care medic operating in Columbia, SC, and is an educational subcontractor for the Teleflex corporation, providing emergency medicine device education throughout the country. He is a continuing education program administrator in South Carolina as well as an instructor in CPR, ACLS, PALS, PHTLS, AMLS and CEVO courses. He has earned his Associates of Applied Sciences degree in Emergency Medical Services and graduated with high honors from Corning Community College in Corning, NY.

ICP: What is All The Fuss About?

The human brain is an incredible organ. It contains billions of neurons and is responsible not only for the higher functions that set us apart from all other living things, but also is responsible for maintaining all of our life sustaining functions. It weighs about 3 pounds (approximately 2% of total body weight) yet it consumes [...]

Managing the Obstetrical Airway

"When faced with managing the airway of the pregnant patient, it is important to understand the anatomic and physiologic changes that occur during gestation. Not only does the pregnant female have to oxygenate, ventilate, perfuse and nourish the developing fetus, specific anatomic changes occur due to hormonal changes and fluctuations due to pregnancy. Often, intubation and [...]

Airway Assessment To The Letter (Or Number)

Predicting the difficult airway is a combination of art and science. Sometimes the airway that looks relatively easy to manage can turn out to be a nightmare and the supposedly difficult airway based on external assessment can be managed relatively simple to maintain. A good rule of thumb is to always hope for the best [...]

Mechanical Ventilation: A Double Edge Sword

The role and consequences of mechanical ventilation during transport is something that must be both understood and respected. While it can free up much needed manpower and allow for more consistent delivery of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide, it can also have negative effects if applied incorrectly. Broadly speaking, mechanical ventilation can be utilized [...]

Abdominal Trauma: The Silent Killer

Many traumatic injuries result in outwardly gruesome and visually grotesque injuries. Abdominal trauma however, often can go unnoticed and can be a silent killer if the injuries go unrecognized or untreated. While skeletal injuries often present with obvious deformity and are easily recognized, abdominal injuries are much more difficult to identify. In regards to traumatic injuries [...]

Comparing and Contrasting Placenta Previa and Abruptio Placenta

Many EMS providers have difficulty deciphering the difference between Placenta Previa and Abruptio Placenta in the field. While both conditions have some signs and symptoms as well as risk factors in common, each has its own defining factors and presenting symptomology such as the presence and consistency of vaginal bleeding. In this article we will outline [...]

Arterial Lines: A Balancing Act Between Positives and Negatives

Utilizing invasive hemodynamic monitoring utilizing an arterial line has both advantages and risks that healthcare providers need to be aware of. While it offers the ability to monitor real time beat to beat changes in perfusion status, it also has potential complications that non invasive monitoring devices do not have. All prehospital providers should be familiar [...]

Let’s get STARTED!

Mass Casualty incidents and natural or man made disasters are some of the most physically and emotionally charged and challenging calls that an EMS provider can face. Whether you are a first responder, EMT, AEMT, Paramedic or advanced provider, the fear of what lies ahead coupled with the overwhelming of the immediately available resources can [...]

The Circulatory System: The Plumbing of Our Body

In the two previous installments, we talked about the role of cardiac output and blood volume as it pertains to overall perfusion in the human body. Today we will finish up with the circulatory system and how it assists the body not only in day to day maintenance of homeostasis but also how it responds to [...]