Category: EMT
- Asthma ()
Asthma is a chronic lung disease. It affects the bronchioles (airways) which are the tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. When the patient has asthma, their bronchioles can become inflamed and narrowed. This can cause wheezing, coughing, and tightness in the chest. When these symptoms get worse than usual, it is called […]
- Management of Toxicological Emergencies ()
When EMS are dispatched to a toxicological emergency, the importance of the scene size up cannot be underestimated. Much of the scene size up can be performed while enroute to the scene. If the call was made as a suicide attempt, the medics should ensure police are enroute as well. Suicidal patients sometimes attack ambulance […]
- Medication Overdose ()
Commonly Overdosed Medications For a variety of reasons, patients will take more than the prescribed amount of a medication. The reasons for overdosing range from intentional (suicidal or recreational) to accidental. The most common overdose that EMS will encounter is insulin. Patient’s take insulin at various times of the day, but fail to properly measure […]
- Poisonings & Exposures ()
A poison is any substance that is harmful to your body. You might swallow it, inhale it, inject it, or absorb it through your skin. Any substance can be poisonous if too much is taken. Poisons can include: Carbon monoxide from gas appliances – The main culprit for carbon monoxide poisoning is kerosene space heaters used […]
- Drugs Of Abuse – Non Narcotics ()
These Drugs Are Illicit, But Not Narcotics Despite all the confusion created over 100 years ago by the 1914 Harrison Anti-Narcotic Act, people can high without the benefit of the opium. There are plenty of ways to get high without opium. The following illicit drugs are not narcotics, and as such they do not respond […]
- Drugs Of Abuse – Alcohol Use Disorder ()
According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 85.6 percent of people ages 18 and older reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime, 69.5 percent reported that they drank in the past year, and 54.9 percent (59.1 percent of men in this age group and 51.0 percent of women in […]
- Drugs Of Abuse – Narcotics ()
Narcotics Are Drugs Derived From Opium Opium is a highly addictive non-synthetic narcotic that is extracted from the poppy plant. The opium poppy is the key source for many narcotics, including morphine, codeine, and heroin. The poppy plant, Papaver somniferum, is the source of opium. It was grown in the Mediterranean region as early as […]
- Poisoning ()
According to Poison Control gave guidance to 2.1 million people in 2020. Poisoning occurs for a variety of reasons, however it is understood that humans come in contact with these poisons from the environment, a consequence of the economy, or forensic (criminal) reasons. Toxicology is the branch of science concerned with the nature, effects, and […]
- Management of Cardiovascular Emergencies ()
Truth Be Told, The Dispatcher, EMS, and the ER Couldn’t Find A Heart Attack In A Basket Of Puppies Most cases of Acute Coronary Syndrome are dispatched to EMS as a chest pain call. Ambulance services will send an Advanced Life Support ambulance to the scene. The Advanced Life Support Ambulance has the capability of […]
- Acute Coronary Syndrome ()
Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) refers to a group of conditions that include ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and unstable angina. It is a type of coronary heart disease (CHD), which is responsible for one-third of total deaths in people older than 35. Some forms of coronary heart disease can be asymptomatic, […]