The Basics The interview is always the same and follows a set pattern of questions. Questions that occur to the ambulance crew after this conversation would be referred to as a follow up question. Subjective – This is the patient’s chief complaint as defined in terms of onset, provocation, quality, radiation, severity, and time. The […]
Collect The Right Information The best source of information about the patient is the patient. The patient knows what hurts and how bad. Just ask. In lieu of the patient, ask the family. Rarely does EMS experience patients who are completely alone. EMS is responsible for collecting the following information on all patients encountered: Correct […]
SAMPLE History The focused history and physical exam answers the question, “why am I here?” When the EMS crew is confronted with a patient who has a medical problem but there is no mechanism of injury, the medics have to figure out the complaint and formulate a differential diagnosis. A differential diagnosis is a temporary […]
The Basics The interview is always the same and follows a set pattern of questions. Questions that occur to the ambulance crew after this conversation would be referred to as a follow up question. Subjective – This is the patient’s chief complaint as defined in terms of onset, provocation, quality, radiation, severity, and time. The […]
Setting The Stage The patient doesn’t have the privilege of checking out the ambulance crew on the internet before they arrive. They are stuck with who they get (the same can be said for medics). Given the realities of responding to incidents, the patient may have had to wait a considerable time. Despite the fact […]
At some point during the resuscitation, an advanced provider such as a Paramedic or AEMT will place an advanced airway into the patient’s airway. This measure is useful in that it resolves the problem of gastric distention, but it creates another problem: hyperventilation. The increased respiratory cycles will drop a patient’s blood pressure like a […]
Transport ventilators, also known as portable ventilators, are mechanical ventilation devices designed specifically for emergency or transport scenarios. Like stationary ventilators, they help patients breathe by delivering either oxygen-enriched gas or room air into a patient’s respiratory system through invasive or noninvasive means. Rescuers around the world still reach for a bag valve mask (BVM) to manually ventilate a […]
Everybody Needs One Of These In Their Truck A flow-restricted, oxygen-powered ventilation device (FROPVD), also referred to as a manually triggered ventilation device (MTV), is used to assist ventilation in apneic or hypoventilating patients, although these devices can also be used to provide supplemental oxygen to breathing patients. It can be used on patients with […]
The Patient Imagine if you will a patient with difficulty breathing is laying on the stretcher in the back of the ambulance. Their shortness of breath is turning into an inability to speak and the patient has a scared look in their eyes that tells you that they need serious help. The medics can see […]