Recent content by firemedic1563

I have not seen the statistics, or met a critic, but I know one patient who benefited from a 12 lead with his life: Patient presents with chest pain only, otherwise asymptomatic. C/O "I am having a heart attack". Followed standard C/P protocol, 12 lead just prior to leaving scene. I do have a...

No problem, no offense taken or intended. The links are not working for me either, not sure why. Do a search for COMAR which will find the website to view our state laws in entirety, then you can view Title 12 (section 9) which deals with Police training. Title 30 deals with medical services...

Excellent question. Here we carry pediatric immbilizers that I have secured as small as a 1 month to. In lieu of a cervical collar on a small infant, a horseshoe roll(blanket) can be used to wrap the sides and top of head and tape used on forehead and chin. To transfer the infant from carseat to...

I will concur however that in this case, it does not appear that this officer broke any law or violated any policy. It was his call, and quite possibly appropriate to have other bystanders continue care while he managed the scene

Sorry I did not post the second paragraph AK, was not trying to misrepresnt your views. My point is that in some cases, such as in this state, they are required by LAW to provide care to their level of training. Since my word means nothing here you go...

To be honest, I am not familiar with either. My protocols aside, I feel that if there is a mechanism that carries the possibility of spinal injury, than the patient should be immobilized until injury is ruled out. Keep in mind that the mechanism required is much less for infants and young...

I disagree, at least in the case of my state. Also, here it is LAW that they provide care. At least in the vast majority of cases, as most of our police officers are certified by the state as First Responders. As such, the law specifically requires them to perform care when on duty "in...

The benefits of spinal immobilization are without a doubt controversial. That is another debate. I would argue that while it MAY not be beneficial in the vast majority of cases, I would not want to be the provider who did not apply it to the neurolgically intact trauma victim, only to have them...

Thank god someone suggested CPR. Glad I read all the posts to find it. So why would the baby be blue ? Maybe because his heart is pumping ineffectively. Suggestions: First, attempt to suction if you are reasonably certain it is not a FBAO, rather an aspiration. Ensure the airway is...

There are experts and authors of EMS texts that recommend both, in the same literature often times. They all tend to agree that it is only appropriate in more minor MVC's. But to answer your questions: 1. My thoughts: personally, I don't find that most car seats give proper positioning for...

We work a 24/72 schedule, in a large county that goes from bordering a major metropolitan city, to much more suburban farm land. The good news in the much busier areas (10-15 avg calls per shift) the transport times are 10 minutes or less. The slower companies (3-5 calls per shift avg) have up...

Saw this today in JEMS. Although the improved survivals are attributed to the hypothermic therapies, it is interesting to note that the program uses "mechanical" cpr...

Sorry to bring the horse back, but was seeing who else uses these and had to respond: Olson Neurologic outcome study LUND University study Durnez In Hospital outcomes There are a few more. And yes, this device is approved for use in the US by the FDA with 510K clearance, so consent...

My department recently started implementing the LUCAS. We trialed them, Thumpers(we currently have on all ALS units), and the Autopulse. I did not personally get to use the autopulse, but my understanding of our choice was that we had many times it stopped, and some sort of pin failure in the...

OK, so i agree in theory with field termination of effort. However, please remember that we all are in very different places with very different rules and resources. In MD, without rigor AND lividity, and in absence of "Injuries Incompatible with Life", it can be difficult at best to terminate...