Got called to a nursing home for an unresponsive, found an obese woman laying across the bed, snoring respirations. Nurse says patient has been nodding off all morning, and won’t respond to her at all. Plus her SAts are low. This is not like her. Deep sternal rub opens her eyes, but then she shuts…
Bloggers and PodCasters
The night before I left Baltimore, I met up with some bloggers and podcasters at a local sportsbar. It was great to put faces with people. The meeting was organized by Eric Augustus of EMS Haiku and Dan White of Paramedic Blog. Dan works for alliance medical and is the man behind the AllMed AVC…
No Problem
We get called for a diabetic and arrive at the nursing home to find one nurse pouring orange juice in the woman’s mouth, while another nurse checks her blood sugar. On the bed table, I see an empty glucagon vial and a syringe. “Her sugar was forty and she was vomiting,” the nurse says. I…
Funk
Back at work. I’ve been trying to put together my conference notes, but for some reason I just feel all EMSed out. It’s odd because usually when I come back from a conference, I’m all psyched up and rearing to go. Today, its been like “What hospital do you want to go to? Okay. We’re…
Hot Dogs
Been slow this week and most of the calls have been for young people with the flu. Yesterday I had a seventeen-year old with fever and diarrhea. He spoke in a death bed whisper. I wanted to say you are not on TV or trying out for a movie role — there is nothing wrong…
JEMS – Bloggers
I understand some EMS bloggers are going to try to get together down at JEMS on Friday night. I am going to try to meet up with them. Blogger Meeting From what I gather, the group could include: EMS HaikuParamedic BlogMad Dog Medic and possibly more. I know Baby Medic will be down there as…
Blogging About EMS
It seems that with increasing frequency I am reading or hearing about someone involved in EMS getting in trouble, and occasionally losing their job over what they have written in their blog or posted on the internet. The link below is the latest story: Warning Issued to Kentucky Paramedic After Web Site Posting When I first considered…
The AutoPulse
A reader asked me to comment on the AutoPulse, the automated CPR device that straps around a patient’s chest and delievers compressions at a consistent rate and depth. Let me start by saying I have never used the device. I have talked to many medics who have and who have been amazed at the machine’s…
Dementia
We’re sent for hallucinations — a third party caller — a man’s daughter says her father is hallucinating and needs to go to the hospital. She says her mother is concerned. ** “We’ve been married 70 years,” the wife says in a deep cigarette voice. “Last night he says there’s a man in the shower….
Acknowledge. but Don’t Accept
A reader asked me to comment on the following article. Public Safety Personnel Work Through Danger Here is the most relevant passage: A few years ago, in a discussion among several of us who do critical incident stress debriefings, we talked about the difference between acknowledging and meekly accepting danger as part of one’s career. It wasn’t long…
Not a Bad Thing
Not a Bad Thing The state was here inspecting our ambulances. Everything was in order except all the pedi ET tubes in the airway kit were expired as were all the replacement pedi-tubes in the supply room. 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5 – all expired. I didn’t even know tubes had expiration dates, but…
A Two Year Old’s Pain
Thirty percent of the calls in my town are patients over 80 years old. Lots of pneumonias, CVAs, COPD, hip fractures, etc. We rarely get kids. Started off the day with a 95-year-old who “went into a trance” and “fell out.” When we got there, there were people running toward the house in panic and…
Sick
Working sick. It happens all the time in EMS. Why? In EMS you get exposed to so much, its hard to make it through a winter without getting whacked by at least one bout that would put a salaried worker in bed with a thermometer in their mouth and a water bottle on their chest….
Arms
Nearly every day a stranger’s arm rests on my knee. I roll their sleeve up and strap a tourniquet around their arm just above the elbow. I usually have already eyeballed their hands for veins. Is this going to be an easy stick? Or am I going to work for it? While their arms rest…
Thank Yous
A number of months back I had a discussion about thanks or lack of thanks in EMS, after which I decided to keep a record of how many times I had a thank you said to me in a single day. My list only lasted a few days, but it was actually quite lengthy. It…
The Man Who Wouldn't Die (Part 2)
Here’s Part 1: The Man Who Wouldn’t Die Now Part 2: So I’m just sitting around thinking I’ve been doing nothing but routine EMS calls — lots of elderly flu, dehydration, falls, psychiatric, TIA type calls with nothing much to write about despite being so busy when the tones go off and we are sent…
State of the Union
10 calls today starting with two minutes after the moment I laid my head down after checking my gear. I’m on my fourth different crew of the day and I admit I am getting cranky. The goal is to reach a zen-like state where you can do each call 100% with full attention and senses…
A Tale of Two Codes
The Chain of Survival After finishing my paperwork I come out of the ER and sit in the front seat of the ambulance. My partner, who is in the back putting linen away, says, “About five minutes ago they sent an ambulance up to Pilson Way for a call where they are doing CPR.” “We should…
Why Can’t They Fix it
The suburban town where I work three days a week abuts the northern border of the city. It begins with a lower middle class black neighborhood, small one story homes tightly packed together. As you head north the houses get gradually bigger. On the mountain that lines the north and west of the town are…
Regional Meetings
On the second Tuesday of every month, I spend four hours at our regional educational standards and medical advisory meetings. I am not a meeting guy, but we have a good group of people and we get things accomplished, although as with any group sometimes it seems we are always rearguing the same issues. In…