EMT Tricks of the trade

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Blow by is great for kids who will not tolerate a cannula or mask. We carry a stuffed animal and I'll wrap the tubing around the stuffed animal so the kid can hold/hug the toy.
 
wyoskibum said:
Blow by is great for kids who will not tolerate a cannula or mask. We carry a stuffed animal and I'll wrap the tubing around the stuffed animal so the kid can hold/hug the toy.
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Blow-By is one of my favorite methods for administering O2 to any child under three (hell, even four or five, depending on the child) when they won't accept the Ped NRB. I've also found that children can often be more scared of the Cannula than a Mask, due to the fact that they believe the extensions that fit into the nostrils are actualy syringe-like and will hurt them in some way.

I had a four year old some time ago on a Ride Along that said, word for word, "No, I don't want that. It will go into my lungs and hurt." Kids are smarter than we give them credit for. So I usually skip the Cannula and go right to Blow-By with the Oxygen Bear if they won't accept the NRB.

Funny story, though. I must have had a really keen interest in the Medical Field when I was younger, because I was taken to the hospital when I was five or six after having a piece of ice and a bit of rock stuck in the Sclera of my left (or right... I really can't remember which one) eye during a snowball fight. From what my Ma tells me, I was so excited to have the NRB Mask over my face that I wasn't even concerned about my eye the entire trip to the ER. I think she was tempted to take one from the room we were in so I could take it home. Really amazing.

:P
 
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Hi there, I never thought to put 2 fingers in the pulse ox. you can olso put it on their big toe. Let of a chance for them to pull it off.
 
Second said:
yep I've seen a locksmith use one before when I locked myself out. I felt like a dummy :rolleyes:
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Yep. I've seen a very similar device used by AAA when I locked my keys in my car nearly a hundred miles away from home. The guy they sent just slipped the pad in between the door and the frame, inflated it, and stuck a long pole into the gap it creates to hit the Unlock button.

I tried the same technique with an old Adult BP Cuff on my buddy's Crown Vic, but the material around most Sphygmo's has no grip to it whatsoever, so when you inflate it, it just pops out of the door before creating any gap whatsoever.

Here's a good tip for doors, though. If you have a wire coat hanger and the basic technique down for opening doors with them, back doors will open much easier than front driver or passenger doors. A little patience, and it will work every time. Not that time effective if you lock your keys in the flippin' Ambulance and your radio is going off the hook... but...

:rolleyes:
 
Oxygen bear? Explain, this sound cool. We have very little on our rigs to accomadate little ones. This is to bad as we hall a good share of pedi. Any other ideas to make our rigs more kid friendly?
 
Momof7 said:
Oxygen bear? Explain, this sound cool. We have very little on our rigs to accomadate little ones. This is to bad as we hall a good share of pedi. Any other ideas to make our rigs more kid friendly?
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Hehe, I'm not kidding!

They have Oxygen Tubing going through the dorsal side of them (or the bottom), which provides Blow-By while the child plays with the Bear. They look very similar to this one, except the ones AMR had during my Ride Alongs were blue in color and had a much more discreet method of providing the O2, as opposed to the very obvious holes on the front of this bear.

o2bear_full.jpg


If you can't get a hold of these for your Units, carry one with you that you can wrap O2 Tubing around (As mentioned above), which will provide adequate Blow-By when pointed in the right direction. I like to give the child the bear and say, "Here you go, I trust you. Just hold on to this for me until the ride ends, all right?" This doesn't work with older kids, but under two or three it's pretty effective.
 
We have the pedi masks that look like dinosaurs. They are really cute.
 
rock med is a great learning org
u can make a rubber band from a rubber glove
you can fill a rubber glove with ice to make a cold pack
a medic showed how a garbage bag poke hole place around neck becomes a huge puke bag
 
Closed for 13 year bump.
 
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