Category: EMR
- Defibrillation ()
Cardiac defibrillation is the act of administering a transthoracic electrical current to a person experiencing one of the two lethal ventricular dysrhythmias, ventricular fibrillation (VF) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT). Under Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines, pulseless VT and VF are treated the same. Heart disease remains the number one cause of death in […]
- Automated External Defibrillator ()
An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electricity which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm. With simple audio and visual commands, […]
- This Is Why Your Chest Compressions Suck ()
You don’t know where to put your hands When a chest compression is performed, the weight of the chest compression is placed on the palm. The palm should be placed on the lower half of the patient’s sternum. The sternum or breastplate is the bone that connects the ribs on anterior portion of the patient’s […]
- Cardiac Arrest Chain of Survival ()
It takes a village to bring people back from the dead The 911 system was conceived in the 1960’s in response to the growing concern of civil unrest. It took nearly 50 years to get the nearly all of the United States access to this system. Why did it take 50 years? Because the 911 […]
- CPR: Knowing When To Quit ()
Ambulance services shouldn’t be expected to perform CPR on patients who are obviously deceased Sometimes, the ambulance crew is summoned to the scene of a person unconscious, only to discover that the patient is obviously dead. When a patient is obviously dead, there is no reason to begin resuscitative efforts. Sometimes, it’s obvious that the […]
- Nosebleed (epistaxis) ()
A nosebleed is loss of blood from the tissue lining the nose. Bleeding most often occurs in one nostril only. Considerations Nosebleeds are very common. Most nosebleeds occur because of minor irritations or colds. The nose contains many small blood vessels that bleed easily. Air moving through the nose can dry and irritate the membranes […]
- Vaginal Bleeding ()
Menstruation, or period, is a woman’s monthly bleeding.Abnormal vaginal bleeding is different from normal menstrual periods. It could be bleeding that is between periods, is very heavy, or lasts much longer than usual. It also includes bleeding that happens before puberty or after menopause. Causes can include: Uterine fibroids or polyps Hormone problems Hormone pills, such […]
- Hemodialysis ()
Renal Failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys are functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as either acute kidney failure, which develops rapidly and may resolve; and chronic kidney failure, which develops slowly and can often be irreversible. Symptoms […]
- Respiratory Distress ()
The primary survey The primary assessment begins when the ambulance crew makes contact with the patient and answers numerous questions about how the rest of the call will be conducted. Will the patient need CPR? Is the patient unresponsive? Does the patient need oxygen or ventilation? Patients generally don’t need ventilation if they are alert […]
- Nerve Agent Antidotes ()
Nerve agents can be treated with atropine and pralidoxime chloride. Commonly used in the military and sometimes carried on ambulances are the Mark I kit and the DuoDote. The Mark I kit contains 3 sets of 2 autoinjectors. The Duodote contains 3 sets of 1 autoinjector (the DuoDote autoinjector combined both medications into one syringe. […]