End-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) has been around for a while now. We started with the main-stream (BVM/ ET tube attachment) that we can use on our mechanically ventilated patients, and then we progressed to having the side-stream (nasal cannula type device) that we can use on all of our breathing patients. End-tidal has become the gold [...]
The term “Special Healthcare Needs” means different things to different people. Collectively, patients with special healthcare needs encompasses the geriatric, bariatric, pediatric, sensory impaired, technologically dependent patients, behaviorally challenged patients and many others. Every group has special challenges, risk factors and needs as well as the fact that our approach to them as health care providers [...]
As a medical professional, have you ever wondered why we have to do a CPR refresher class every two years? It seems like you just took the class, and now it’s time to do it again. While in the class, you might even be thinking “this is the exact same information from two years ago”. Well, [...]
Morphine, Dilaudid, Fentanyl… these are medications that we have been giving our patients for years, to treat their pain. Chest pain, give an opioid. Broken bone, give an opioid. Abdominal pain, give an opioid. Back pain, give an opioid. For many years, these were our only pain medication options in an ambulance. That is finally starting [...]
In the medical profession, it is not unthinkable that we might have to triage people during a mass casualty incident, or MCI. From multi-vehicle car crashes, mass shootings, terroristic attacks, and even weather-related incidents, such as tornados, earthquakes, or hurricanes. Within just a matter of moments, we can easily become overwhelmed by patients, all begging for [...]
ASD-If you meet just one person on the Autism Spectrum, you’ve met only one person on the Autism Spectrum Donald Gray Triplett. (Born September 8, 1933, Forest, Mississippi, U.S.—died June 15, 2023, Forest, Mississippi), American male who was the first person diagnosed with autism. His parents, unable to cope with some of his developmental delays, committed him [...]
As medical professionals, when we are assessing our patients, one of the most common questions that we ask, is “what medications are you taking?” A lot of medics think that we only need to know about prescriptions medications, but this is not true. We need to know all of the patient’s prescription medications, all of their [...]
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a diagnosis that has been around for a very long time but is becoming increasingly more common for emergency medical services personnel to encounter. Quality of care and correct care comes down to having a basic understanding of ASD. Autism spectrum disorder is a disability that causes delays in communication, social [...]
Are you pulling my leg? -femur fractures The Thomas splint was first introduced by Hugh Owen Thomas in 1875, in his book titled, Diseases of the hip, knee and ankle joints with their deformities, treated by a new and efficient method. Across the western front, the splint was adopted and by 1917, it had become standard issue [...]
As temperatures rise, heat-related emergencies become a significant concern for emergency medical service (EMS) providers. While most people associate heat-related incidents with dehydration or heatstroke, respiratory emergencies induced by heat exposure are often overlooked. I would like to shed light on the topic of heat-related respiratory emergencies, providing EMS providers with essential knowledge and strategies to [...]
