EMS
Next to creating a life, the finest thing a man can do is save one - Abraham Lincoln
image by: Jason Bain
HWN Suggests
Living Life with a Paramedic
Where would we be without EMS professionals. We all at one time or another are or will be thankful for what you do.
After introduction of CPR programs in the late 60's, gradual, consistent decreases in the incidence and severity of heart disease was noted and at first everyone thought it was because people were learning CPR, as well as increasing public knowledge of the importance of modifying life styles by paying attention to the risk factors for heart disease.
To a certain extent it was, but closer analysis showed that the major factor is EMS systems.
The first model for pre-hospital care was developed in an attempt to provide effective treatment quickly to…
Resources
Riot control Rx
How to assess and when to transport patients injured by tear gas, pepper spray or rubber bullets.
Do we have the right stuff?
What EMS can learn from the NASA/SpaceX mission and a return to space,
Emergency Medical Workers Deserve Pay Equity
Paramedics and E.M.T.s are just as professional as firefighters and should be compensated accordingly.
Turning Bystanders Into First Responders
In the mass-shooting era, civilians must help one another in a crisis—and keep victims from bleeding to death.
911 Emergency: Call Centers Can’t Find Workers
Once hired, new dispatchers undergo several weeks or months of training, though there are no uniform nationwide standards. Few states have mandatory exams and the vast differences in resources between 911 centers can mean that the bulk of some new operators’ training comes from simply sitting beside longer-tenured colleagues.
96 Minutes Without a Heartbeat
The capnograph, which measures carbon dioxide being expelled from the mouth of the patient, can tell rescuers when further efforts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, are futile or whether they should be continued. It is the latest effort that cardiology experts and emergency teams are devising that aim to improve a patient's odds.
A Push for Push Dose Epinephrine
With epinephrine’s wide availability on ALS units for the management of cardiac arrest, extension of its use as a vasopressor is a logical progression. The “code” or “cardiac” epinephrine stored on ALS ambulances is in a 0.1 mg/mL concentration. To make push dose epinephrine, it needs to be diluted to a 0.01 mg/mL (10mcg/mL) concentration before being administered through a peripheral vessel. This is usually done using a 10-mL syringe and given in 1-mL aliquots known as a “push dose” or “bolus dose.”
Pediatric patient ABCs: 7 tips for EMTs and paramedics
Follow these steps to facilitate a successful outcome for dealing with emergencies involving kids.
The Failure of Our ‘Just Go to the ER’ Medical System
Currently, in American health care, experts are wringing their hands in confusion. I mean, people have insurance, right? And yet health care is still expensive and dang it, people just keep going to the ER. Visits are climbing everywhere, and I can speak from personal experience when I say that we’re tasked with more and more complex and multi-varied duties in the emergency departments of the 21st century.
The Revolution in EMS Care
Thanks to new technology, new life-saving techniques and new missions, ambulance crews are far from the ‘horizontal taxicabs’ they once were.
AEDs - The Truth and the Fiction
Few innovations have had such immediate and sweeping popularity as Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs). However, there is no centralized registry to collect data on the use and effectiveness of AEDs. What?
CPR Needs Resuscitation & Resuscitation Needs CPR
Sudden cardiac arrest outcomes continue to remain dismal despite CPR. But, anybody can perform CPR, including children. It's not how well CPR was done, but whether it was done at all!
High-Speed Care
Nothing represents the urgency of time in emergency care better than the blazing ambulance, its lights and sirens clearing its path. Some of the supposed importance of speed in medical emergencies is actually grounded in truth: For patients with cardiac arrest, the time it takes for someone to start CPR makes a big difference in survival. But for many other conditions, time (on the order of minutes) may not make as much of a difference as we once thought.
Mass Casualty Information for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Providers
Several resources related to mass casualties for EMS providers.
Not having 911 services is a huge drain on a country’s economy—and yet so easy to fix
While the mobile industry is squarely focused on the next biggest thing, or in the words of Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, making connecting to the internet as easy as dialing 911, it would be a mistake to leave such a basic service by the wayside. To do so would be to literally add insult to injury.
Paramedics Aren't Just for Emergencies
Paramedics, who race to emergencies and transport victims to the nearest ER, are taking on a new role: keeping patients out of the hospital.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest? Is There Hope?
Evidence suggests that the number of people resuscitated from Sudden Cardiac Arrest may double simply with the use of hypothermia. Yet, most EMS systems & hospitals still have not embraced it. Why?
The Laws of EMS
I put together some general principles, “Laws,” to help the newer providers understand the big picture of EMS and make sure they see the forest and not just the trees.
Think the E.R. Is Expensive? Look at How Much It Costs to Get There
Thirty years ago ambulance rides were generally provided free of charge, underwritten by taxpayers as a municipal service or provided by volunteers. Today, like the rest of the health care system in the United States, most ambulance services operate as businesses and contribute to America’s escalating medical bills. Often, they are a high-cost prequel to expensive emergency room visits.
Living Life with a Paramedic
You take him for granted. I treasure every moment, as if it is my last, because he leaves his family to care for yours.
10 Steps to start your own EMS podcast
Remember, content is king and good content is more important than technology whiz-bang."
A Day in the Life of an Ambulance Driver
Musings on Life, Death and Everything In Between...
ParaDocs
ParaDocs; a collaboration of Doctors and Paramedics is a Worldwide Medical Service serving the world's private and public venues. Our goal is to provide the most professional medical standby services for events of all sizes.
Rogue Medic
Just another EMSBlogs.com site.
Emergency Theatre Live
"New" episodes of the 1970's TV series Emergency written by paramedics like you, shown with images and music.
EMS World
As the world of EMS grows bigger and more complex, reaching the right people becomes more challenging.
EMS.gov
This innovative website hosted by NHTSA EMS was developed to meet the varied needs of the EMS community and contains background and updates on Federal EMS initiatives and programs.
EMS1.com
EMS1 is revolutionizing the way in which the EMS community finds relevant news, identifies important training information, interacts with each other and researches product purchases and suppliers. It has become the most comprehensive and trusted online destination for prehospital and emergency medical services.
EMS12Lead.com
Cardiac rhythm analysis, 12-lead ECG interpretation, resuscitation.
EMTCity.com
EMS forums, chat, news, training, videos and more.
HealthONE EMS
Advancing patient care with inspiring medical education.
JEMS
JEMS.com is your complete online EMS resource, with news, product information and continuing education.
NAEMSE
NAEMSE empowers the profession of EMS Medical Education through collaboration, education and innovation. The Board’s primary objective is to serve the NAEMSE membership and shape the future of EMS Medical Education.
National EMS Quality Alliance
NEMSQA will develop and endorse evidence-based quality measures for EMS and healthcare partners that improve the experience and outcomes of patients and care providers.
Paramedic Network News
Paramedic Network News (PNN) is your daily news and information source on the EMS industry. We produce concise, original text every day. Whether its email headlines or the complete story, PNN is your portal to what''s going on in the prehospital world.
AlecBuck.com
Website has the largest collection of EMS Helicopter photos on the internet and includes recent news. Enjoy your visit through this site. ....and if you are a flight crew member, keep up the outstanding work you do each and everyday. This site is dedicated to you!!
Firehouse
Extensive resources and breaking news for the firefighting, rescue and EMS community.
FireLink
FireLink brings members of the fire and rescue community together to promote firefighter safety, provide resources and services to advance careers, and to foster a community with exclusive benefits where information about the fire and rescue community is provided to the community by members of the community.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 and is dedicated to achieving the highest standards of excellence in motor vehicle and highway safety. It works daily to help prevent crashes and their attendant costs, both human and financial.
PulsePoint
PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our mission is to make it much easier for citizens who are trained in CPR to use their life saving skills to do just that…save lives! Through the use of modern, location-aware mobile devices PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens and empower them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest.
U.S. Fire Administration
As an entity of the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency, the mission of the USFA is to reduce life and economic losses due to fire and related emergencies, through leadership, advocacy, coordination and support.
Introducing Stitches!
Your Path to Meaningful Connections in the World of Health and Medicine
Connect, Collaborate, and Engage!
Coming Soon - Stitches, the innovative chat app from the creators of HWN. Join meaningful conversations on health and medical topics. Share text, images, and videos seamlessly. Connect directly within HWN's topic pages and articles.
