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4th Down and Epinephrine: Why Do We Keep Calling the Same Play?
As an Eagles fan in New Jersey, it’s easy to find ways to criticize the New York Giants. So, when I began drafting this post, I was elated to find a correlation between pre-hospital medicine, and a criticism of the Giants. What a world we live in. Anyway, here’s the big point. Epinephrine in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is…
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Enhancing OHCA Survival: Key Practices for EMS Educators and Agencies
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is one of the most critical emergencies managed by EMS providers. Survival rates vary dramatically among agencies, ranging from as low as 1.8% to as high as 14.8%, underscoring the importance of specific EMS practices in improving outcomes. But what are those practices and what do agencies that have high survival…
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What’s the big deal with the Paramedic2 Study?
· 8014 patients enrolled in a UK study of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest · Randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study · 5 centers in the UK from December 2014 to October 2017 · 30-day survival was higher in the group receiving epinephrine than placebo · Patients who received epinephrine had worse neurologic outcomes What is this study? The PARAMEDIC2 study was initiated…
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FOAMed and the Social Media Minefield
I am what you would call a social media fan…just ask my infinitely patient spouse. I came somewhat late to the game, but I have enthusiastically embraced it as I found I could find people with like interests, healthy debate, learning, and a lot of memes. I have a Twitter feed with a decent number…
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Why do we do what we do?
For years now whenever I begin teaching a class, I begin with the same question and phrase it as a joke. I’ll ask the class “Why are you here? Why do you want to be an EMT? Don’t tell me that you want to help people, because I presume that you’re not a sociopath.” It’s…
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Thrown to the Wolves: Why ‘Mental Toughness’ Is What’s Killing Our Coworkers
My entire EMT class was a blur. The lessons were quick, the skills stations were chaotic, we had two chances to pass a test and if you didn’t pull off that magical 70% you were out! Go sell shoes! You don’t belong here with the road dogs. You’re not part of the elite. Before…
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Narcan: The Band-aid No One Knows How To Use
We’ve all had that call come across from dispatch that you know from the start is an overdose. “Man in car in abandoned parking lot, unresponsive and possibly not breathing.” The opioid crisis being what it is, the likelihood that we will be responding to a patient who has had just this side of…
