The autonomic nervous system, which is subdivided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, plays a critical role in how the body responds to the stressors we encounter. Our body uses a negative feedback loop to respond to those stressors. As our body encounters a stressor, the sympathetic nervous system releases hormones into the bloodstream. Epinephrine, [...]
As an industry we love to throw out numbers, the most repetitive being 500 mL. We hear that number several times over the course of our initial training courses. And I do not know about the other DistanceCME (DCME) faculty, but I feel like I mention 500 mL at least once a week, and usually more. [...]
The television show Chicago Fire recently came under fire, no pun intended, by the Chicago Fire Department (CFD) after a recent episode depicting the use of a Baby Box in the show’s fire station. A Baby Box is a safety device that allows a parent to place a newborn into it and anonymously surrender the child [...]
It was announced by Emergent BioSolutions Inc. on Dec. 21, 2022, that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is going to review the potential classification of Narcan spray as an over-the-counter medication making it widely available as early as March 29th. This is great news considering that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is reporting that [...]
Last week two emergency medical services (EMS) employees of Lifestar Ambulance Service in Springfield, Illinois, were charged with first-degree murder. Peter Cadigan and Pegy Finley, their certification levels were not disclosed in the article, were called by law enforcement to transport a man by the name if Earl Moore Jr., 35 years old, to St. Johns [...]
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a very common illness that infects almost every child by the age of 2. RSV presents with cold-like symptoms, runny nose, a cough, and fever and it is highly contagious and can spread very quickly through daycares, school settings, and long-term care facilities. Once a person is infected, they remain contagious [...]
Dallas Fire Department Fire Fighter/Paramedic Brad Cox will not be charged with a felony as per last week’s Grand Jury. Prosecutors were seeking an indictment of injury to a disabled person. Cox’s engine was reportedly called to a grass fire on a section of frontage road along interstate 30 in 2019. Cox is seen on video [...]
It won’t be too long before we enter carbon monoxide (CO) season. CO as we know is a colorless, odorless gas that prevents oxygen (O2) from binding to our hemoglobin. In the United States somewhere between 170 and 400 people die every year of CO poisoning from nonautomotive sources. These sources can be house fires, [...]
