Tag: patient assessment
- Calling For The Bird ()
Indication for medical air transport The only real indication is that the patient needs the services of a different hospital other than what can be arranged for that is within a reasonable distance for ground transport. Hospitals may arrange medical air transport either by rotary or fixed wing (depending upon the distance that needs to […]
- Medical Air Transport ()
Best used in rural areas with less access to hospitals There are numerous advantages for the use of medical air transport. Depending upon the operation, some can provide special therapies that would never be possible in an ambulance. For the most part, the personnel employed by medical air transport agencies are highly trained and experienced. […]
- How To Ensure The Scene Remains Safe At Weapons Of Mass Destruction Incidents ()
What is a weapon of mass destruction (WMD)? A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natural structures (e.g., mountains), or the biosphere. The scope and usage of […]
- START For Mass Casualty Triage ()
The assessment that you will perform as a member of the triage team is simple. You will assess each patient in terms of respirations, pulse, and mental status. By virtue of this simple assessment, the medics should be able to determine (in less than 30 seconds) if a patient is dead/dying, immediate, or delayed. Remember, […]
- Mass Casualty Incident ()
What to do if the call is bigger than what the ambulance service can handle Mass casualty incidents are incidents that have more patients than what can be provided by the local ambulance service. How would the medics know they are in the middle of a mass casualty incident? Ambulance – Medic One to dispatch […]
- Multiple Patient Incidents ()
Anytime an ambulance arrives, a scene size up is conducted by the medics. After determining if the scene is safe and if a mechanism of injury exists, the medics must determine the number of patients. Usually, ambulances respond to a single patient, but what would happen if there were more than one patient? First, the […]
- How To Ensure The Scene Remains Safe ()
Who needs to be safe? The first priority for safety is the ambulance crew. If the scene suddenly becomes unsafe, nobody should expect the medics to still be on scene. Even if the medics have made contact with the patient, the medics have every right to leave when the situation becomes unsafe. The second priority […]
- Pediatric Airway Compromise ()
Initial management of pediatric patients is guided by the primary survey. The equipment used for adults such as oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airways are the same for pediatric patients as they are adults, only smaller. All patients with respiratory distress should immediately be given high flow oxygen via non rebreather mask, blow by, or positive pressure […]
- Patient Assessment For Pediatric Patients ()
The EMS crew should always be looking for a mechanism of injury, regardless of how a call is dispatched. In the case of the pediatric patient, mechanisms of injury may not be obvious. An infant falling off the countertop probably requires transport to a trauma center (fall twice the height of the infant). Broken furniture […]
- How To Assess Pediatric Patients ()
Assess from a distance When infants and children are sick, they look sick. The same can’t always be said for adults. A useful triage tool to use when assessing an infant or child is the pediatric assessment triangle. The pediatric assessment triangle will allow the medics to perform a quick but limited assessment of the […]