Here in Connecticut we record nonfatal overdoses that are reported through the 911 system. The big question we are always wondering is How many overdoses are there that are reversed with naloxone and 911 is never called? A recent study out of Great Britain and Sweden offers a clue. Overdose reversal through peer intervention: Findings…
EMS protocols change, mostly for the better. In 30 years as a paramedic, I have Paramedics typically obtain venous access to administer medications and IV fluids by inserting an IV catheter into a peripheral vein (almost always in the upper extremities). For patients who lack venous access, if their condition merits, paramedics can obtain intraosseous…
I watched Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey with my daughter this week, It was the first time I had been in a movie theatre in a couple years since we saw the Bob Dylan biop A Complete Unknown. My daughter and I have read The Odyssey together since she was little. It has long been one…
No. It’s not. But we are making progress, no doubt. Here in Connecticut, we peaked in 2021 with 1524 overdose deaths, 93% of them opioid and 86 % fentanyl. Since then, overdose deaths are down 45%; opioid deaths are down 53% and fentanyl deaths are down a whopping 64%. We are at levels not seen…
Randolph Mantooth, who played medic on NBC’s ‘Emergency!’ series, dies at 80 In the beginning there was Johnny and Roy. The TV show Emergency introduced America to paramedics. Johnny and Roy were two genial guys who rescued citizens in distress and when they weren’t doing that they were hanging out at the fire station or…
1. Fatal Overdoses are Down. 834 people lost their lives to fatal overdose in Connecticut in 2025, down from a 2021 peak of 1524, a 45% decline. Nationwide deaths are down 37% from a 2022 high. 2. The Drug Market Remains Lethal and Unpredicatable. Fentanyl purity (the percentage of fentanyl found in pills and powder)…