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All variables (mortality, length of stay, % ICU admission) were the same except for 28 day readmission, which was slightly less in the treatment group.

I skimmed the entire paper, so a few thoughts. This study takes place in the Netherlands, so there a few differences. Notably, almost 75% of patients were referred by their GP and many of them were already on antibiotics. Also, EMS in the Netherlands is run by RNs who have taken extra training...

I think the question should not be are paramedics better at assessing patients than EMTs, since I think everyone would agree that they are. I think a better question is, practically, does it make a difference in outcomes, and on which patients does it make a difference. However, it's also...

I can't imagine those studies exist prehospitally, because the vast majority of patients who call 911 will get transported to a hospital (since neither ALS nor BLS can say no to transport in 99% of the US), and the public will almost never know the difference between what ALS or BLS could have...

Alas, he was not.

Ditto on the thinking I knew more than I did stuff. I did once watch a new EMT place a nasal cannula into a patient's eyes once though.

Zoll has a pair of pads that have a separate electrode in them, allowing them to monitor and pace simultaneously https://www.zoll.com/medical-products/defibrillator-electrodes/onestep/

It took me at least a year of being a 911 EMT to feel moderately comfortable with what I was doing (this was in a slow rural system). EMT class is so short and basic that there's a lot of on the job learning, and with that comes the feelings of insecurity and inadequacy, especially if you work...

I saw them used in PA, where it has become OTC. The police all use them too. The only problem I've had is the police giving 8mg to patients before EMS arrival (not a typo), which usually leads to a combative patient on arrival. I think that's more of a problem with the autoinjector dosing...

This is giving me flashbacks to my first volunteer gig (which went paid 24/7, thank god), where you had to sit on the pad in the ambulance until there were at least 3 personal, or the county response checked you at 8 minutes (exceptions were made for cardiac arrests). The reason being that "if...

Yeah ours too. We have the same vials, it's just much easier to shoot some into a bag and drip it quickly as opposed to pushing it 1mg/minute while the patient flails around, which can be borderline impossible if you're by yourself in the back.

While I think mag is preferred even for postpartum eclampsia, the fact that the Versed worked would suggest to me that you did the right thing. At that point there aren't any fetal issues to worry about and as Chase pointed out, it could be potentially not be LPPE. I've found there are two...

I started EMS in a farm county of 20,000 people and we still had several paid medics and eventually a paid BLS ambulance, in addition to the volunteers. The counties next to us (all of them with less than 70,000 people) staffed a full county ALS ambulance service with 5-6 units in service. I...

With the exception of rural agencies with very long transport times, I really can't see the need for a headache protocol more advanced than NSAIDS or other similar OTC medications, plus the considerations to rule out stroke and trauma. For those with a long transport time or feeling particularly...

Given that the patient apparently lost consciousness for a few seconds, could this have just been a brief syncopal episode? It's not a side effect of fent that I've ever heard of, but a LOC with a brief period of apnea followed by full recovery sounds like syncope to me. Assuming I understand...

Philly area squads are usually hiring EMTs and are almost always hiring medics somewhere. I was hired the week after I sent my application to one agency haha. Decent pay ($15-19/hour) for basics too.

Serious question, are there states that allow EMS carry/prevent organizations from prohibiting it? I thought Texas was pushing for it for certain volunteer areas where the responders tended to carry (out in cattle country and such) to avoid concerns about securing weapons in a station or car...

My point wasn't that Fire/EMS never gets shot at, it's finding the risk/benefit of being armed. Those examples you gave are of ambush shootings of responding emergency workers. I'm never going to approach an MVC with a drawn firearm just in case the guy inside is a crazy person. I accept that...

I mean I'd probably be dead. But we can 'what if' our way into and out of any possible situation. I'm interested in actual data that would show that lethal force against EMS is a big enough problem that we need to arm healthcare workers, especially since violent crime is like half of what it was...

I don't know if it's exactly comparable, these guys are also sworn peace officers with a badge and (presumably) have gone through academy.