Hi there. I currently work for an IFT company as an EMT-B, as it's my first year in EMS and apparently this is how I'm supposed to get my foot in the door. Anyways, my questions pertains to transporting Trach patients as an EMT-B.
Sometimes, these transports can be up to 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours long. As an EMT-B, I was not properly trained to suction trach patients, and in my area it is an ALS skill due to it being invasive. My first transport with a trach patient, we had a respiratory therapist ride along with us who performed suctioning during the transport, so I was okay with transporting the patient as she was well versed when it came to suctioning; however, this wasn't always going to be the case.
The next trach patient I had to transport, and ever since then... We've never had a respiratory therapist come with us. I was quite concerned with this my first time transporting solo, I asked the Nurse if she was sending anyone with us and she said no. When I brought up the fact that I wasn't trained to suction the patient's airway due to his trach, she said "he'll be fine". I called my dispatch and they told me to just go with what the nurse says and transport him. So, I did.
Recently however, we were transporting a patient with a trach and they started to sound very congested to the point where I had a pretty good concern for how long he'd be able to continue breathing. So, I called dispatch and told them to send a medic truck our way to perform some suctioning. Which they did, and my patient was fine and we continued the transport.
While the medic was suctioning, he himself was kind of curious as to why they had the patient being transported by a BLS crew. I told him I didn't really know, and that I to was pretty confused as to why it was a BLS transport instead of an ALS, even though from my experience it's common practice. He agreed with me that it should have been an ALS transfer, and after he completed the suctioning, he put my patient on 3 LPM of oxygen and we continued the transport.
Long story short, I'm wondering why it is that these transports with trach patients are put as BLS instead of ALS when suctioning the trach correctly is an ALS skill in my area.
Sometimes, these transports can be up to 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours long. As an EMT-B, I was not properly trained to suction trach patients, and in my area it is an ALS skill due to it being invasive. My first transport with a trach patient, we had a respiratory therapist ride along with us who performed suctioning during the transport, so I was okay with transporting the patient as she was well versed when it came to suctioning; however, this wasn't always going to be the case.
The next trach patient I had to transport, and ever since then... We've never had a respiratory therapist come with us. I was quite concerned with this my first time transporting solo, I asked the Nurse if she was sending anyone with us and she said no. When I brought up the fact that I wasn't trained to suction the patient's airway due to his trach, she said "he'll be fine". I called my dispatch and they told me to just go with what the nurse says and transport him. So, I did.
Recently however, we were transporting a patient with a trach and they started to sound very congested to the point where I had a pretty good concern for how long he'd be able to continue breathing. So, I called dispatch and told them to send a medic truck our way to perform some suctioning. Which they did, and my patient was fine and we continued the transport.
While the medic was suctioning, he himself was kind of curious as to why they had the patient being transported by a BLS crew. I told him I didn't really know, and that I to was pretty confused as to why it was a BLS transport instead of an ALS, even though from my experience it's common practice. He agreed with me that it should have been an ALS transfer, and after he completed the suctioning, he put my patient on 3 LPM of oxygen and we continued the transport.
Long story short, I'm wondering why it is that these transports with trach patients are put as BLS instead of ALS when suctioning the trach correctly is an ALS skill in my area.
