Search results

Our company has the policy that the first BP be manual, so if the monitor gives you something wildly different you should be suspicious. Sigh... I get it, but sometimes it's just dang inconvenient to sit there and take a manual pressure when the machine can do it for you while you get other...

"What's wrong with her?" "I tell you man, chicken breath!"

How long is the postictal period? How long is a piece of string?

There's a hospital near my area that does some interesting stuff by treating CHF with fluids, but if I recall they don't jus bolus, they SLAM 250 mls at a time in order to get the desired Starling effect. I know that there's "theory" behind giving fluids for CHF, but I wouldn't want to be...

EMT-B: Empty My Trash, B-tch HP: Hispanic Panic :D

Okay... Am I missing something here? Aspirin is neither a vasoconstrictor nor vasodilator, at least at therapeutic doses. Sounds like the OP may just simply be uneducated about what NTG and ASA are and what their effects are.

I seem to lose every nice pair of sunglasses I buy (or have them stolen :angry: ) so now I go with the el cheapo ones I can pick up at Walmart.

I'm sure they'll sue... "Whaddaya mean you had to shoot him? He was only trying to kill people, after all! Couldn't you have tickled or hugged him into submission?"

How long do you think it'll be before his family sues anyone and everyone involved in the incident?

I had a patient last week that thought he was in his bedroom with his girlfriend nagging him. He kept talking to her and sometimes yelling, saying "You see what she does to me?" But after repeatedly reassuring him that he was with me, not his girlfriend, and that we were in an ambulance, he...

I find that hallucinating patients respond well to two things: First, be calm and assure them that they are safe with you. I repeat over and over, "It's okay, you're safe with me. It's okay to be upset, but know that you're safe." Secondly, don't play into hallucinations. You can...

Absolutely work on your sobriety first. Once your on the other side, or working towards it, you'll be surprised to see how much the booze was affecting your life in ways you may not even realize. I think many of us in EMS deal with substance abuse problems, and it's important that you put...

From my personal experience I have the philosophy that codes should always be worked on scene for two reasons: First, hospitals generally follow the same ACLS protocols that we use in the field. If you're doing it right, there really isn't much more that the hospital can provide that you...

It's interesting to read about the horrible delays some crews are facing (SoCal seems to have the worst) and see some of the same things beginning to occur where I work. We used to never wait long for a bed unless it was a truly horrifically busy day. But more and more often we are finding...

Dr. Allcome, that's one I haven't heard in a long time! I used to work at a hospital that used that term if they had an unruly patient, in the days before security had radios.

Where I work there are two private agencies that provide 911 service. One is the primary 911 provider, while the other if primarily IFT with some limited backup 911 service (as in 1-2 911 calls per week). The differences between the medics at both companies is dramatic. At the primary 911...

Here we're now only doing backboards if there's neuro deficit or a really convincing reason to put them on one. They're also good for codes where you need a firm surface to compress against and they make moving arrest victims easier. We're really just using soft collars, like we used to many...

I've got the Litt Master Cardiology and swear by it.

Sealed, numbered containers inside a number-sealed lockbox inside of a keyed safe on the ambulance wall. Four levels of security. Basically the only recourse for diverting narcs would be to presumably open all of the locks and seals to access a vial and then not administer any of it while...

Did you remember to get a good history? :D